# Machine learning-based prediction of herbal medicine response in functional dyspepsia: protocol for a randomized, assessor-blinded, multicenter trial

## TL;DR

This study tests a machine learning algorithm that predicts which herbal medicine will work best for individual patients with functional dyspepsia.

## Contribution

A novel machine learning-based system is being evaluated for personalized herbal medicine recommendations in functional dyspepsia treatment.

## Key findings

- The study will assess the algorithm's accuracy in predicting treatment outcomes for three herbal formulations.
- Blood and fecal metabolome analysis will explore biological mechanisms underlying treatment responses.
- The trial will compare symptom improvement between algorithm-guided treatment and non-recommended treatments.

## Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the predictive accuracy of a machine learning-based herbal medicine response prediction algorithm in patients with functional dyspepsia (FD). In a preliminary clinical study, the algorithm was developed using the XGBoost regressor framework to predict the relative effect sizes of three commonly prescribed herbal formulations—Yijung-tang (Lizhong-tang), Pyeongwi-san (Pingwei-san), and Shihosogan-tang (Chaihu Shugan-tang). The prediction system recommends the formulation expected to yield the greatest therapeutic benefit for each individual.

This study is a randomized, assessor-blinded, parallel-group, open-label, multicenter clinical trial. A total of 100 patients with FD will be recruited from two Korean medical hospitals and randomly assigned to either the ACCORD group (n = 50), which will receive treatment guided by the machine learning algorithm, or the DISCORD group (n = 50), which will receive one of the two treatments not recommended by the algorithm. Patients will take the assigned herbal medicine for 8 weeks, three times daily, between meals.

The primary outcome will be gastrointestinal symptom score. Secondary outcomes will include total dyspepsia symptom score, adequate relief of dyspepsia, overall treatment effect, visual analog scale score, functional dyspepsia–related quality of life, and pattern identification questionnaire results. Exploratory outcomes will include blood and fecal metabolome analysis, fecal and salivary microbiota profiling, and measurements obtained using Korean medicine diagnostic devices (heart rate variability, tongue, pulse, and abdominal diagnosis).

Integrating a machine learning-based prediction system into treatment strategies for FD may enhance clinical practice and support the broader adoption of artificial intelligence-driven approaches in personalized medicine.

Clinical Research information Service (registration number: KCT0010587) and Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/2ecz8).