Zoe Kourtzi, Professor of Computational Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge and co-founder of Prodromic, has led the development of an artificial intelligence-based technology designed to predict the progression of brain diseases such as dementia in individual patients. The new 'brain forecast' tool uses AI to analyze patient data and aims to identify those likely to develop dementia before symptoms appear.
Kourtzi explained the potential impact: "If we can tell who is going to have dementia before any symptoms appear, we can make a huge difference to how the disease progresses through lifestyle changes and new medication. That way we can spare families the heartache of losing the person they love to this cruel disease."
Her academic journey began in Greece, where she was the first in her family to attend university. Initially interested in computer science, she shifted focus after discovering psychology's scientific aspects. This cross-disciplinary background shaped her research approach. After earning her degree, Kourtzi pursued a PhD at Rutgers University in the United States due to financial support opportunities there. Exposure to early brain imaging techniques during her time in Boston further influenced her career path.
Kourtzi’s subsequent research took her from Germany back and forth to Boston, focusing on vision and computational approaches for understanding brain function. She said that integrating computer science with neuroscience was necessary because "the brain is so complex," noting that these were called data-driven methods long before AI became widely discussed.
Her move to Cambridge followed work at Birmingham's brain imaging centre and was partly motivated by personal reasons. At Cambridge, collaboration with clinicians sparked her interest in dementia research despite initial skepticism about its feasibility or demand.
She credits access to high-quality patient data through international university partnerships as crucial for advancing her team's models. "For my team, this was a dream come true," Kourtzi said about obtaining unbiased clinical data from Singaporean memory clinics.
The technology developed by Prodromic has shown promise: "Our models have proved three times more accurate in diagnosing people and giving them a prognosis than the standard approaches." Kourtzi hopes it will allow clinicians "to help both patients and their families have much better outcomes" by making earlier diagnoses when interventions are still possible.
Support from entrepreneurship programmes at Cambridge Judge Business School helped Kourtzi transition into commercializing Prodromic’s technology. Participation in initiatives like Ignite and Founders at the University of Cambridge provided training, mentorship, and confidence needed for launching the company.
Currently, Prodromic is building its software platform while seeking additional investment. Kourtzi cites balancing research commitments with entrepreneurship as a major challenge but credits sabbaticals and institutional support for enabling progress.
Reflecting on what drives innovation, she said universities should encourage students’ creativity: "It's about bringing your creative spirit, being comfortable with doing risky things."
Personal experience also informs her work; Kourtzi described how dementia affected her own family: “My closest aunt passed away from dementia… In the late stages…she was not holding my hand for her own reassurance, she was passing her strength on to me.”
She concluded that determination should outweigh external perceptions: "... if you have the drive and motivation to achieve something, you should not be constrained by other people's perceptions."
Published October 2025