A new AI-led collaboration is being launched to advance drug discovery for ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases. The Louisiana AI Drug Development Infrastructure for ALS (LADDIA) initiative brings together academic, clinical, and technology partners to apply artificial intelligence to one of the world’s largest ALS datasets.

The initiative is being led by Answer ALS in partnership with GATC Health, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and Tulane University. It is backed by the State of Louisiana as part of its effort to expand neuroscience research and biomedical innovation across the state.

At the centre of the programme are Dr Jeffrey Keller of Pennington Biomedical and Dr Aron Culotta of Tulane University, who will coordinate research efforts across multiple institutions. The project aims to build a connected network of AI specialists, neuroscientists, and clinicians focused on accelerating the identification of new therapeutic targets.

“This is more than a research partnership, it’s a strategic investment in the future of ALS discovery,” said Clare Durrett, executive director of Answer ALS. “By aligning Louisiana’s top talent and institutions with cutting-edge AI tools and our open-access Neuromine Data Portal, we are enabling real-time collaboration that could help identify druggable pathways and translate data into breakthroughs.”

The LADDIA initiative will be implemented in two phases. The first phase will focus on building the necessary infrastructure, recruiting local expertise, and aligning institutional capabilities. The second phase will support collaborative projects across the network, including model optimisation and data-driven therapeutic discovery.

“With the gradual adoption of artificial intelligence in applications around the globe, to apply this incredible technology toward the pursuit of treatments for ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases is perhaps the most noble and worthwhile implementation of it,” said Dr Keller. “The open-access repository of the Neuromine Data Portal will be instrumental in this pursuit, and along with Dr Culotta, I look forward to collaborating with researchers and AI experts to navigate currently unseen patterns to potential treatments.”

The Neuromine Data Portal is the world’s largest open-access ALS dataset, and will be central to LADDIA’s drug discovery approach. By applying AI models to large-scale multiomics data, the team hopes to identify high-potential druggable targets and improve understanding of disease progression.

“GATC is proud to partner in this important mission to leverage our proprietary AI platform to identify druggable ALS targets with high predictive accuracy,” said Dr Rahul Gupta, president of GATC Health. “We believe this alliance of research data, academia and advanced AI is the new model for rapid discovery of novel therapeutics to treat diseases currently lacking effective treatment. The biomarkers identified through this collaboration will be shared with the research community, while also enabling GATC to pursue therapeutic development based on these discoveries.”

Benchmarks for the collaboration include joint scientific publications, therapeutic target identification, and a shared long-term roadmap. Organisers say the model could serve as a framework for AI-led discovery in other complex disease areas, including Alzheimer’s and chronic pain, through public–private partnership.

“This important collaboration highlights the power of AI to transform healthcare,” said Dr Culotta. “Combining Tulane’s expertise in AI and biomedical research with partners across the state, we aim to accelerate AI-driven solutions for ALS and other health challenges.”

Answer ALS said it remains committed to building tools, datasets, and collaborative networks to support future research and drug development.