Award for an important advancement in AI@KI to Sara Hägg
During the inauguration of the new initiative "Advances in Artificial Intelligence - AI@KI", on Dec 18, 2024, the first award for an important advancement in AI made at KI during the past year was handed out. Among many nominated candidates, Dr Sara Hägg was evaluated as the most outstanding contribution from a panel of reviewers.
Dr. Sara Hägg at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, KI, is recognized for her advancements in biological aging research, leveraging AI and statistical innovations. Her notable work on improving "epigenetic clocks" has significantly enhanced their reliability.
By using ML algorithms, she reduced noise in these biomarkers, enabling more accurate tracking of biological aging and its progression over time. This improvement supports the development of interventions to address aging-related diseases.
Additionally, Dr. Hägg plays a key role in an NIH-funded, National Institutes of Health, project aimed at repurposing existing drugs to prevent Alzheimer's disease. By applying AI-driven methods to analyze extensive longitudinal data, her team identifies promising drug candidates. These findings are validated through experimental models, combining epidemiological data with laboratory research to target aging mechanisms and Alzheimer’s prevention.
"I was very surprised and happy to learn that I had received the award", commented Sara Hägg. "My research in biological aging has mostly been done using statistical methods and epidemiological data. However, over the last years, we have started to use machine learning algorithms to improve assessments of biological aging and predictions of age-related outcomes. This aligns well with my training in computational biology and I foresee that we will continue to enhance the research projects by combining AI and epidemiology," continued Sara Hägg.
The award was presented by Professor Anna Martling, who is one of the driving forces behind AI@KI and Sara Hägg then gave a short talk entitled "What happens in the body as we age?"