Meet Dwayne, a new custom-built AI chatbot designed to provide crucial support and information to those affected by vasculitis. Named in honour of Dwayne, a man who tragically lost his life to the disease, the chatbot was created in collaboration with Vasculitis Ireland Awareness (VIA). Dwayne is trained on verified content from the VIA website, the Vasculitis UK website, and other documentation to offer accurate, accessible, and instant information. This initiative aims to bring the benefits of AI directly to patients, allowing them to find answers to their questions in seconds.
ReganByte is a Wicklow-based tech company specialising in custom AI solutions like chatbots and automation. The founder is David O’Regan, a former Product Manager (and a Cork-based musician in a past life) who spent 10 years in the corporate tech sector before setting up his own AI & Automation consultancy in 2024. He and his wife Ciara both know first-hand the effect that a rare disease diagnosis like Vasculitis can have.
Ciara was diagnosed with Vasculitis in 2021 after many years of confusing and sometimes debilitating symptoms. She is also now permanently visually impaired after suffering a sudden bilateral haemorrhage during a meeting at work. It took countless visits to doctors and consultants and an almost endless list of tests to arrive at Vasculitis, and yet her journey continues still with changes to medication and the constant threat of another flare.
Vasculitis is a rare and often misunderstood condition that causes inflammation of blood vessels, leading to serious complications. According to Vasculitis Ireland Awareness, many patients struggle to access reliable information before, after and in between their consultant visits. AI in healthcare has made significant and exciting progress in the areas of flare prediction and diagnosis, but patients still struggle to understand their own condition and are often left confused and without answers.
By carefully limiting Dwayne’s training data to trusted and verified sources, ReganByte ensures that patients and caregivers have access to up-to-date, accurate information in a matter of seconds without having to sift through mountains of data to find it.
“When I was diagnosed with vasculitis, I experienced first-hand how difficult it was to find the right information and support,” said Ciara. “Dwayne is more than just a chatbot. It’s a tribute, a source of reassurance, and a tool to help others with rare diseases find answers to their questions.” David added: “We see this as just the beginning. AI can revolutionise how rare disease communities access support, and we’re excited to see what else we can do with this technology.”
Looking ahead, ReganByte plans to expand Dwayne’s impact by partnering with other rare disease charities and health organisations to develop similar AI-powered solutions tailored to their needs. These are low cost but high impact solutions that can really make a difference and help organisations stand out and reach their members quicker.
Unveiled at a Northern Ireland Rare Disease Partnership event in Stormont Parliament Buildings in Belfast on Feb 26th, Dwayne will be officially released on Feb 28th, International Rare Disease Day.
Try it out at www.vasculitis-ia.org/ask-