NIH grant supports AI development for glaucoma prognosis and care

The National Eye Institute (NEI) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded Mingquan Lin, PhD, an assistant professor in the Division of Computational Health Sciences at the University of Minnesota Medical School, a 5-year, $3.7 million grant for his research on Developing Robust Multimodal AI for Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma Prognosis.

This award will support the development of trustworthy AI technologies for ophthalmology and help advance earlier identification of patients at high risk for vision loss.

Primary open-angle glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. This project aims to develop robust multimodal AI models that integrate fundus photography, OCT, visual field testing, and clinical data to predict glaucoma progression and support clinical decision-making. The project emphasizes both predictive performance and clinical usability to facilitate real-world implementation.

This project aims to develop clinically deployable AI systems that can help ophthalmologists identify patients at high risk of glaucoma progression earlier and more accurately. Our goal is to improve patient outcomes while ensuring that AI tools are robust, trustworthy, and practical for real-world clinical use."

Dr. Mingquan Lin, PhD, assistant professor, Division of Computational Health Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School

The project involves collaborations among investigators at the University of Minnesota, Weill Cornell Medicine, and Washington University in St. Louis.