WPI Receives $1.6 Million to Study AI-Based Precision Medicine for Chronic Pain
-
WPI received $1.6 million in NIH funding to use AI to predict if patients with chronic back pain will benefit more from mindfulness or opioids. Total possible funding is $9 million.
-
The 5-year study will analyze data like sleep patterns and activity from 350 diverse participants to build machine learning models that can personalize pain treatment.
-
Partners include UMass Chan Medical School and Boston University School of Medicine, bringing complementary expertise in clinical research and community engagement.
-
The goal is to reduce opioid dependence by steering more patients towards mindfulness-based approaches proven to help chronic pain. Over 80,000 Americans died from opioid overdoses in 2021.
-
Study leaders highlight the potential for AI and data to enable precision medicine and improve health equity, especially for underserved groups disproportionately impacted by chronic pain and addiction.