Israeli Startup ALZAI Health Uses AI and Routine Blood Tests to Predict Alzheimer's Risk
Israeli startup ALZAI Health developed an AI algorithm using routine blood tests to predict Alzheimer's risk years in advance, validated across 1.6 million records in Israel and the US.
Routine blood tests, commonly performed at healthcare clinics for general check-ups, could predict the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease years before the first symptoms appear. Israeli startup ALZAI Health has developed an artificial intelligence-based algorithm that assesses the risk of the disease accurately and non-invasively, utilizing data already stored in medical records.
The need for early detection has become urgent following the introduction of new biological drugs approved in recent years and blood tests cleared by the FDA. These drugs can slow disease progression, but they are effective only in its early stages—a narrow window of one to three years. Currently, about 80% of patients are diagnosed too late, when brain damage is irreversible, and only 20% receive timely diagnoses.
A Shift Toward Proactive Medicine
Initiated by Dr. Amir Glick, head of cognitive neurology at Beilinson Hospital (Clalit Health Services) and medical advisor to the company, the research analyzed over 100 million data points from Clalit's research repository. The study tracked half a million patients in Israel over 20 years, alongside researchers Prof. Chen Hajaj, Dr. Anat Goldstein, and Dr. Orit Reuveni from Ariel University's Department of Industrial Engineering and Management.
The system provides stratification risk predictions ranging from one to ten years ahead. Patients identified by the model as likely to develop Alzheimer's within a year or two likely already suffer from cognitive decline and require immediate clinical evaluation and treatment. Conversely, for individuals identified within a ten-year window, aggressive lifestyle modifications can be implemented. Controlling diabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure can potentially prevent a third of future cases.
International Validation and Market Entry
To ensure the results were not coincidental, multinational validation was conducted on 1.1 million American citizens with six years of follow-up data through HealthVerity. The models achieved even higher accuracy in the USA compared to the Israeli population without retraining.
The technology was commercialized through Mor Research Application (Clalit) and Ariel Scientific Innovations, alongside founders Haim Rokach (CEO), Roy Keit, and Ofri Keit. Operating under Canadian parent company Alzience Health Corp with Israeli R&D subsidiary Alzai Health Israel Ltd, the firm has raised approximately 7.5 million Canadian dollars and completed an initial public offering on the TSXV, alongside OTC trading in the USA and European exchanges.
While deployment in Israel is still under discussion, the company focuses heavily on the US market, where insurance providers manage hospitals and benefit economically from early interventions that prevent costly long-term nursing care. ALZAI Health is also expanding its technology to develop similar models for early diagnosis of liver diseases and other chronic conditions.
