A research programme using AI and machine-learning to predict and detect heart failure is being launched by a joint UK-US scientific team.
The programme, a collaboration between British health-tech company Ultromics and Mayo Clinic in the USA, will apply AI to forecasting heart failure, which can be difficult to diagnose and often goes unrecognised.
The team will use AI analysis of ultrasound heart scans to identify the markers of heart failure and develop an image analysis risk prediction model, that can alert doctors to potential heart failure.
The aim is to develop a diagnostic and predictive tool that can rapidly identify heart failure, reduce misdiagnosis, and enable its earlier prevention.
Dr Ross Upton, CEO and co-founder of Ultromics, said: “Using our pioneering AI technology stack, our objective is to map and scan databases of ultrasound images and develop detailed models to diagnose and hopefully even predict heart failure.
“Early intervention can make a huge difference to a patient’s treatment and quality of life – so the sooner we can identify the condition, the better.”
The research team will use the AI engine from Ultromics’ first product EchoGo Core, to analyse 10,000 echocardiograms (echos). It will analyse 2D-echocardiograms, including assessment of systolic and diastolic information throughout the entire cardiac cycle.
Upton added: “The study has two key objectives: the first is to identify novel biomarkers that can help identify early signs of heart failure. And the second is to develop a machine learning model using the novel biomarkers to provide an automated risk prediction of heart failure at the point of care.”
This project will be led by Gary Woodward, CTO of Ultromics and Patricia A. Pellikka, MD, cardiologist, and clinical researcher at Mayo Clinic. It is the third collaboration between Ultromics and Mayo Clinic.
As reported by Robotics & Innovation, Ultromics’ EchoGo platform is being implemented in NHS hospitals to help predict heart disease as part of a UK government policy to drive-up the use of innovative new technologies throughout the UK health service.
Florida’s Mayo Clinic also made headlines earlier this year when it partnered with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Beep and Navya to use automated vehicles to facilitate the safe transport of Covid-19 tests collected at a drive-through testing site to Mayo’s processing laboratory.
