Latest AI research to help stroke and cardiac patients

Professor Sandra Ortega-Martorell explains more about the project

TARGET project developing AI technology to track and prevent strokes and heart problems

With awareness campaigns around World Heart Day (29 September) and World Stroke Day later this month (29 October), we're shining a spotlight on one of LJMU’s latest research projects; TARGET, which is developing cutting edge AI technology to track and prevent strokes and atrial fibrillation, the most common heart arrhythmia worldwide, affecting 2% of the European population.

70 researchers across 10 countries

Led by Professor Sandra Ortega-Martorell from LJMU’s School of Computer Science and Mathematics, the TARGET project brings together over 70 researchers in 10 countries, including data scientists with a strong track record in developing AI/ML models and their application to healthcare, highly experienced cardiologists, neurologists, acute care physicians and neurorehabilitation experts, as well as patient groups and patient organisations, to address some of the commonest causes of death and the leading cause of disability in Europe.

The project, which received a €10 million grant from the European Union's Horizon programme and UK Research and Innovation, has recently developed AI to identify clinically relevant phenotypes of atrial fibrillation in the general and critical care populations. Phenotypes are simply an ‘observable trait’ and these phenotypes are categories that help identify different patient subgroups within a specific disease, in this case atrial fibrillation, by analysing clinical and physical measurements. They represent either individual disease traits or combinations of traits, including important factors like symptoms, how patients respond to treatments, how quickly the disease progresses, or the risk of death. By classifying different presentations of atrial fibrillation into coherent and manageable clinical phenotypes, the development of tailored prevention and treatment strategies can be facilitated.  

The ambition of the TARGET project is to accelerate translational research for the personalised management of the atrial fibrillation related stroke pathway, starting from the healthy state (for more targeted prevention), pathophysiology and disease onset (for improved diagnosis), progression, treatment and recovery (for enhanced care). 

Research to influence international clinical guidelines

The research and findings of the first output of the TARGET project have now been shared in the eBioMedicine Journal in an article titled, AI-based derivation of atrial fibrillation phenotypes in the general and critical care populations and lead researcher Professor Sandra Ortega-Martorell hopes the evidence will influence national and international clinical guidelines.

 LJMU Research 

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