CASE STUDY
Accelerating Parkinson’s research
with high-performance computing
Professor of Neuroscience Nicola Ray is a world-leading researcher,
helping to revolutionise Parkinson’s treatment and management.
People with Parkinson’s disease are to benefit from cutting edge AI technology that allows neuroscientists to safely test medication and treatment on a ‘digital twin’ brain, thanks to a £1m funding boost for researchers at Manchester Met.
The game-changing project will develop bespoke digital representations of the brain in people with Parkinson’s – a ‘digital twin’ – enabling researchers to trial treatment options risk free and observe how the brain responds before treatments are administered.
Building on work funded by the Medical Research Council, the new three-year project will also involve the development of technology to enable people with Parkinson’s to monitor their own brain signals via an app.
This technology is similar to using ‘neurofeedback’ and will empower people with Parkinson’s to understand how factors like sleep, exercise or medication affect their symptoms.
Nicola’s research includes developing a ‘digital twin’ brain that allows neuroscientists to safely test medication and treatment.
She has been trialling the use of high-performance computing to accelerate her work.
Nicola said:
“I can’t overstate how transformative the high-performance computing capability has been.
“We can now create pipelines using HPC and deploy them faster than we can collect the data. I can deploy my pipelines in parallel, and none of our local computers are clogged up while they run.
“If we were trying the same thing, just using local computing power, we would still be trying to get through the preprocessing stage.”
The trial has allowed researchers to process data much quicker and move beyond primary hypothesis testing towards more complex analyses.
This innovation has helped Manchester Met deliver high-quality neuroscientific research at pace, making the University an attractive partner for research funders and clinical and research collaborators around the world.
Podcast episode: MetCast Podcast: Transforming health through IVF, understanding Parkinson’s Disease and developing a pipeline of healthcare professionals
Professor of Neuroscience Nicola Ray is a world-leading researcher, helping to revolutionise Parkinson’s treatment and management.
