text: ML-based Dementia Diagnosis - USC MEDesign
  ML-based Dementia Diagnosis​
  Our team is developing a machine-learning based speech model that would be used to diagnose patients prone to severe cognitive decline. Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) serves as an important precursor to the development of Alzheimer's Disease and dementia. To detect MCI at the earliest possible point, recent studies have shown that linguistic markers such as word choice, utterance and sentence structures can serve as preclinical (before noticeable physiological change) behavioral markers.
  Traditional methods of MCI detection have utilized in-vivo biomarkers such as beta amyloid and tau, yet its costly and time-consuming nature prohibits wide usage in an outpatient setting. To address the increasing need for scalable diagnostic screening, our team's long term goal is to deploy the speech model into a mobile application. Here, users will regularly partake in a dialogue with the digital agent, where the embedded speech model tracks the prognosis of neurocognitive decline.
  John is a sophomore majoring in biomedical engineering with an electrical engineering emphasis. He is passionate about the convergence of Artificial Intelligence and the human brain. His dream is to one day develop a fully-functional brain machine interface as an avenue for general purpose neural signal control and exploration of the philosophy of mind and consciousness.
  Miru is a freshman at USC majoring in computer science with a passion for biomedical research. Her interests span VR, AR, and ML applications, as well as design. Miru has grown up in South Korea for most of her life, but thanks to the great Koreatown at LA, she doesn't miss the food too much.
  Jethro is a senior at USC majoring in biomedical engineering with a minor in neuroscience. He hopes to pursue a career targeting the diagnosis, prevention, and mitigation of neurological disorders. He is passionate about mechanical and computational design, particularly in 3D printing techniques. His favorite part of the brain is the frontal cortex for being the hub of creativity.
  Bari is a sophomore majoring in biomedical engineering at USC. His current interests are in smart medical technology, neural engineering, and working on improving health diagnostics. He hopes to attend a graduate school to further hone his technical skills required for product development.
  Keyuri is a grad student getting her MS in Neuroengineering at USC. She hopes to go into the industry and work with brain-machine interfaces and neural implants in order to help people with neurological disorders.
  Lucia is a sophomore at USC majoring in biomedical engineering with a molecular cellular emphasis. She is a pre-med.
  Karina is a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering. She is passionate about data science and machine learning, as well as their applications across the medical field. Her hobbies include baking, graphic design, and dancing.