Georgia Tech student's AI analysis of 36 million research papers links ALS, Alzheimer's, and frontotemporal dementia
Georgia Tech student Meghna Iyer helped use artificial intelligence to scan 36 million biomedical research papers, uncovering biological links among ALS, Alzheimer's disease, and frontotemporal dementia. The findings were published in a peer reviewed journal with Iyer as first author, and the work led to a new research tool.
Working in Georgia Tech’s Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, student Meghna Iyer helped an AI system analyze 36 million biomedical papers to find biological connections linking ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, and frontotemporal dementia. The team’s findings do not identify a cause or point to a new treatment, but the source says they give researchers a shared framework for studying the three diseases together. The project also became the basis for a research tool called SemNet Explorer, and the study appeared in the journal Biomedicines in February 2026 with Iyer listed as first author.
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Original announcement: Georgia Tech News Center.
The story shows how a Georgia college student’s personal experience and campus research access helped produce a peer reviewed scientific finding, a reminder of the research opportunities available at Georgia institutions.