Research teams from Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Pleasanton, California, and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor have been awarded a total of $10.5 million to conduct research projects that explore ways to use artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate and improve screening and treatment for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S. The projects are funded through a special research grant from the American Heart Association, a global force changing the future of health for all.
"AI was once relegated to the realm of science fiction; however, it's quickly becoming a part of everyday life for all of us. The American Heart Association has been a leader in cardiovascular science and research for more than a century, and we recognize the importance of learning how we can harness this revolutionary tool to improve health for people everywhere," said Stacey E. Rosen, M.D., FAHA, American Heart Association volunteer president, senior vice president of Women's Health and executive director of the Katz Institute for Women's Health of Northwell Health in New York City. "I'm very excited about these two new research projects we are funding and look forward to the knowledge we may gain for how AI technology can empower health care professionals to make informed decisions and, ultimately, improve health outcomes and save lives."
The awards, which started July 1, 2025, will fund the following research:
Kaiser Permanente Division of Research Center: Screening Cardiometabolic Opportunities Using Transformative Echocardiography Artificial Intelligence (Team SCOUT-Echo-AI) – This multi-disciplinary research team is led by David Ouyang, M.D., a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research and a non-invasive cardiologist at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center. The team will look at ways to use AI to expand the usefulness of heart ultrasounds, or echocardiograms, which are common, inexpensive, portable tests that don't use radiation. While doctors currently use ultrasounds to check the heart, these scans can also show nearby organs like the liver and kidneys. Although previous research has found that conditions impacting the kidneys and liver can lead to an increased risk of complications related to cardiovascular disease, cardiologists aren't trained to look for problems in these other organs. The team will conduct a prospective multi-center clinical trial to evaluate whether AI technology can be used to detect early signs of kidney and liver disease on heart ultrasounds. They'll test their method in four different health care systems (Stanford Health Care, Cedars-Sinai, Massachusetts General Brigham and Kaiser Permanente Northern California) to find the best ways to alert doctors and patients to these findings. Early diagnosis of kidney and liver disease can improve the chances of getting treatment for these conditions, as well as reduce the complications that impact cardiovascular disease.
Early diagnosis and treatment of kidney and liver disease is increasingly important because the prevalence of cardiovascular, kidney and liver disease are all on the rise, as referenced in several reports from the American Heart Association:
- In 2021, approximately 19.41 million global deaths were attributed to cardiovascular disease.
- Globally, the rate of death from chronic kidney disease increased 24% from 1990 to 2021.
- It is estimated that about 1 in 4 adults worldwide has nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
University of Michigan: INSIGHT-CPR: Integrated Neural networks and wearable Sensor to Instantaneously Guide Hemodynamic-direcTed CPR – This research team is led by Cindy Hsu, M.D., Ph.D., M.S., division chief of critical care in the University of Michigan Department of Emergency Medicine. The team will explore whether AI can improve the way CPR is delivered to people who experience sudden cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac arrest is a life-threatening medical emergency that happens when the heart suddenly stops beating. Immediately beginning CPR with chest compressions can help save lives by getting blood circulating through the heart and the rest of the body. Most patients need many minutes of CPR to sustain the body until the heart's normal function resumes. The longer it takes for the heart to resume normal activity, the worse outcomes they have. If CPR was personalized based on each patient's specific needs, it could sustain bodily functions more effectively. However, emergency responders can't always measure how effective CPR is because blood pressure measurements require inserting catheters and are affected by the recoil of the patient's chest wall during CPR. The research team has used AI to create an innovative algorithm integrated with a noninvasive wearable sensor to accurately measure blood pressure, even during CPR. This technology can help doctors and emergency responders see, in real time, how well blood is flowing to the arterial circulation, so they can adjust their techniques and medications to give patients the best chance of survival.
In this project, the team will further develop and test this algorithm and sensor with plans to commercialize the tool so that it is widely available to potentially save more lives. According to the American Heart Association:
- More than 400,000 cardiac arrest deaths occur each year in the U.S.
- If performed immediately and effectively, CPR can double or triple the chance of survival from an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
"While artificial intelligence and machine-learning may seem like the buzz phrases of the day, pioneering research has long been an essential element of the American Heart Association's work, and these new research grants are not our first foray into this space," Rosen said. "We've been instrumental in bringing cutting-edge technology to millions of scientists across the globe through our Precision Medicine Platform launched nearly a decade ago, and we will continue to drive those projects that can add to the body of science that supports our lifesaving mission to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives."
Funding scientific research and discovery through initiatives like these grants is a cornerstone of the American Heart Association's lifesaving mission. The Association has funded more than $6 billion in cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and brain health research since 1949, making it the single largest nonprofit, non-government supporter of heart and brain health research in the U.S. New knowledge resulting from this funding continues to save lives and directly impact millions of people in every corner of the U.S. and around the world.
