Each year, about 18 million people worldwide die from cardiovascular disorders, which places these among the most lethal conditions. The focus in most studies is on the heart, and the influence of vascular disorders on this large number of deaths is often neglected although vascular diseases are a reliable indicator of death due to heart conditions. Peripheral vascular disease in particular, for example of the aorta, neck or leg vessels, is associated with a dismal prognosis; but preventive measures often lag far behind the possibilities for affected patients.

Research teams plan to develop suitable predictive models

The new consortia project VASCUL-AID-Konsortialprojekt headed by the Amsterdam University Medical Center (UMC) brings together renowned teams of researchers and experts in the fields of vascular medicine, registry research and Big Data in numerous European countries, among them the MHB. The concept for all involved is to collect patient data and on this basis develop suitable models for better risk prediction and patient-oriented prevention. It is not possible at present to predict the course of an aneurysm or peripheral vascular disorder. Patients are expected to collect data via app themselves, for example on day-to-day activities, quality of life and heart rate. Six hospitals, among them that of the University of Oxford, will provide additional data. The aim is to identify the markers of high-risk groups on this basis and use artificial intelligence for reliable prediction of undesired side effects and progress of vascular disease in order to ensure an optimum of individual prevention for each patient.

The VASCUL-AID project started early this month with funding of around 6 million Euro from the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 framework programme for research and innovation. Priv.-Doz. Dr. med. Christian-Alexander Behrendt is in charge of the German subproject; the current head of the VASCUNET committee of the European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) is the medical-scientific director of the DIGG (Deutsches Institut für Gefäßmedizinische Gesundheitsforschung gGmbH). He sees the inclusion of MHB researchers into the renowned European consortium and allocation of ca. 600,000 Euro as appreciation of their performance and at the same time as a great chance.

New project will expand MHB research network

Dr. Behrendt established a research team over the past ten years which moved to the MHB in Neuruppin in 2022. He is convinced that the build-up of vascular care research at the MHB offers many opportunities for internal and external cooperation, and that the new project can expand the existing excellent expertise in the research community by national and international networks in the field.

The chair of Prof. Dr. Irene Hinterseher, section head for vascular surgery at the Brandenburg university hospital and MHB vice president, provides the setting for the various research projects from the fields of Big Data, Machine Learning and AI in cardiovascular medicine to be amalgamated. Prof. Hinterseher welcomes the chance to make a major contribution to this important mission: “Many patients live in uncertainty about the course of their disease, with more hospital stays as a result. Our primary aim is an early identification of patients with a higher risk of deterioration in their condition so that individually tailored treatment plans can be developed, and their quality of life be improved.” Dr. Behrendt adds that VASCUL-AID responds to a great demand for individual risk prediction and personalized therapy, and in our age of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data offers many possibilities to those groups of patients who hardly benefit from the findings of many clinical studies.