AI reads faces to spot rare genetic diseases, but can it work across ethnicities?
NCT ID NCT05913843
First seen Sep 21, 2026 · Last updated Sep 21, 2026
Summary
Researchers are testing whether an AI tool called GestaltMatcher can help diagnose rare genetic diseases by analyzing facial photos. The study includes about 100 people in Taiwan with suspected genetic conditions and unusual facial features. Doctors will also use eye-tracking to see how they examine faces, and the team will compare facial patterns and diagnostic accuracy between Taiwanese patients and patients from other countries.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- facial photo analysis with an AI system called GestaltMatcher
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could help doctors diagnose rare genetic diseases faster and more accurately, especially in people whose facial features differ from the mostly European faces used to train current tools.
- What could go wrong
- The study is small and focuses on one ethnic group, so the results may not apply broadly. AI facial analysis can miss diagnoses or flag false ones, and it still needs a doctor's judgment.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2025
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Cases with abnormal appearance of clinical symptoms and suspected genetic diseases at National Taiwan University Hospital
- Ages
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Children (under 18), adults (18 to 64) and older adults (65 and over)
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Cases with abnormal appearance of clinical symptoms and suspected genetic diseases Exclusion Criteria: * Unable to cooperate with the examiner
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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National Taiwan University Hospital
RECRUITINGTaipei, 10041, Taiwan
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