TUE AM News: UW study finds issues with using AI for genomic research; EnsoData announces partnership with wearable monitoring device maker

November 5, 2024

— A recent UW-Madison study found using AI in genetic studies can result in faulty conclusions, highlighting a “pervasive bias” in research that relies on the technology.

Qiongshi Lu, an associate professor in the university’s Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, led the study that was published recently in the scientific journal Nature Genetics.

While AI is being used to help researchers parse through many thousands of genetic variations across study participants, in hopes of identifying connections between genes and various diseases, the university notes these relationships are “not always straightforward.”

One such effort, the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us project, seeks to leverage huge datasets including genetic profiles and health information. The program gathers data from people across the country with a goal of improving the field of precision medicine.

But some databases have missing data on health conditions targeted by researchers, and scientists are using artificial intelligence to bridge “data gaps,” according to the UW-Madison release.

“It has become very popular in recent years to leverage advances in machine learning, so we now have these advanced machine-learning AI models that researchers use to predict complex traits and disease risks with even limited data,” Lu said in a statement.

But his team found a commonly used machine learning algorithm being used in genome association studies “can mistakenly link” multiple genetic variations with the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. This conclusion about potential false positives identified by AI applies broadly to AI-assisted studies, the release shows.

“The problem is if you trust the machine learning-predicted diabetes risk as the actual risk, you would think all those genetic variations are correlated with actual diabetes even though they aren’t,” Lu said.

Lu’s team has also put forth a statistical method to help researchers “guarantee the reliability” of genome-wide association studies that use AI. It can eliminate the bias introduced by AI that’s relying on incomplete data, according to the university. Lu calls the proposed fix “statistically optimal.”

See the release.

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— Madison-based EnsoData has announced a new partnership with Happy Health, a Texas manufacturer that makes a wearable monitoring device called the Happy Ring.

The agreement aims to address “growing demand for clinical-grade nightly sleep monitoring” at home, according to the announcement.

Under the partnership, Happy Sleep will provide patients with an FDA-approved sleep test backed byEnsoSleep’s proprietary software, while also connecting them with specialist doctors and personalized care.

“We are excited to see the Happy Health team grow with the adoption of EnsoSleep PPG to expand the diagnostic capability of Happy Ring sleep data,” EnsoData President and CEO Justin Mortara said in a statement. “As care moves increasingly to the home, patients need wearable form factors designed with long-term use in mind, and physicians need a trusted AI partner to analyze the growing amount of data collected.”

The partnership aims to address the tens of millions of Americans impacted by sleep disorders, especially those kept out of traditional care pathways because of their complexity and cost, by offering a more accessible home testing process.

See more at Madison Startups.

— Visit Milwaukee is touting a growing community of partner businesses, which recently hit a record-high 1,000 participants.

The tourism organization yesterday announced the milestone, which President and CEO Peggy Williams-Smith calls a “testament to the thriving tourism industry we’re building here” in Milwaukee.

“Our partners are at the heart of what makes Milwaukee an incredible place to visit, and we are deeply grateful for their role in transforming Milwaukee into a world-class destination,” she said in a statement.

The announcement notes nearly one-third of its business partners are owned by women, veterans, members of minority groups or the LGBTQ+ community. And it spotlights a 26% year-over-year increase in the number of Visit Milwaukee’s corporate partners, rising to 29 companies this year.

Visit Milwaukee yesterday also announced a partnership with Discover the North Shore, a promotional group focused on communities including Bayside, Brown Deer, Fox Point, Glendale, River Hills, Shorewood and Whitefish. Through the partnership, Visit Milwaukee will develop marketing campaigns to showcase attractions, events and local businesses in these areas.

“By promoting the North Shore and its unique offerings, we’re not only enhancing Milwaukee’s tourism footprint but also celebrating the distinct character of our neighboring communities,” Williams-Smith said.

See the release.

— State officials have announced $273 million in funding for water infrastructure projects has been allocated to 86 municipalities in Wisconsin.

The funding from the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program is going toward efforts to replace lead service lines and address PFAS contamination, according to the release from Gov. Tony Evers. Wisconsin currently has more than 167,000 lead service lines, the release shows.

Of the projects listed in the release, Milwaukee’s is the largest by grant award with more than $30 million in funding. Nearly $20 million of that total is going toward lead service line principal forgiveness.

The funds will be awarded to municipalities over the next year.

“Across Wisconsin, countless folks and families worry about harmful contaminants like PFAS and lead every time they turn on their tap — and that is a reality we have been working hard to change,” Evers said in a statement.

The town of Campbell is getting about $973,000 to address PFAS contamination in its private wells and drinking water, helping to replace existing contaminated private wells. The town will use the dollars to fund the first phase of the effort, with plans to build a sandstone supply well to eventually supply the entire town, according to the release. Later phases include building a distribution system and elevated storage tank.

See the release and list of funded projects.

Downtown Kenosha revamp underway, with more housing to come

UW-Madison seeks help with conference bookings after pandemic decline

TOPICS

AGRIBUSINESS

– USDA funds healthy food access in Kenosha with $150K grant

CONSTRUCTION

– Wisconsin communities receive $273M for drinking water projects

– Dangerous wiring can lead to fires. This program aims to address that.

– City of Racine breaks ground on $68 million community and health center

ENVIRONMENT

– Proposed DNR rule would allow quicker changes to harvest quotas for lake trout, cisco