According to Forbes, DeLorean AI is tackling chronic kidney disease affecting over 850 million people worldwide using precision predictive analytics that can spot renal decline years before dialysis becomes inevitable. In the U.S. alone, 35.5 million adults have some stage of CKD, with up to 90% of cases going undetected according to CDC data. The crisis disproportionately affects Black Americans, who are four times more likely than white Americans to develop kidney failure. CEO Sev MacLaughlin explained their AI models analyze electronic health records to provide 6-24 months of supporting data with clear “what to do” explanations. The financial stakes are massive – Medicare spent $87.2 billion on CKD treatment in 2019, with patients costing nearly three times more than non-CKD counterparts at $22,348 annually.
That predictive window changes everything
Here’s the thing about kidney disease – by the time most people get diagnosed, the damage is often irreversible. DeLorean AI claims their models can detect high-risk trajectories up to 24 months earlier than standard clinical monitoring. That’s not just a minor improvement – that’s potentially life-changing. Think about it: two extra years to adjust medications, change lifestyle factors, or prepare for interventions. For conditions where early detection literally determines whether someone faces dialysis or maintains kidney function, that lead time is everything. And they’re not just throwing predictions over the wall – they’re building what MacLaughlin calls the “last-mile” care path with actionable insights for physicians.
The healthcare disparities angle can’t be ignored
Black Americans being four times more likely to develop kidney failure isn’t just a statistic – it’s a systemic failure. And here’s where AI could either be part of the solution or accidentally reinforce existing problems. The CEO talks about equitable deployment as a “moral imperative,” which sounds great. But we’ve seen this movie before with AI in healthcare. If the training data skews toward white or affluent patients, the algorithm might miss crucial patterns in communities of color. The very populations that need this technology most could be left behind if the implementation isn’t thoughtful. Still, the potential to close these gaps is enormous – earlier detection means fewer medical bankruptcies, more time with families, and breaking cycles of health disparities.
Where this fits in the bigger picture
The global AI healthcare market is projected to explode from $26 billion this year to $187 billion by 2030. DeLorean AI is targeting just one slice of that, but kidney disease represents such a massive cost burden that success here could reshape how we approach chronic disease management entirely. They’re talking about identifying diseases up to five years before diagnosis across various conditions. If they can actually deliver on that promise, we’re looking at a fundamental shift from reactive to proactive medicine. The company’s focus on making AI outputs “intuitive and transparent” is smart too – physicians aren’t going to trust black box recommendations, especially when patient lives are at stake. This feels like one of those technologies that could either transform healthcare or become another overhyped AI story. The difference will be in the execution and whether they can actually deliver equitable access.
