Researchers at King's College London have been awarded £10.8m to develop new technologies that could transform how cardiovascular disease is detected and monitored, bringing care closer to people's homes and enabling prevention and earlier intervention.
Led by Professor Sebastien Ourselin, the Hub brings together over 35 industry collaborators, six British Heart Foundation Centres of Research Excellence (Edinburgh, Leicester, Manchester, Oxford, UCL and King's), three NHS Trusts through King's Health Partners, plus the Oxford Community Diagnostic Centre, Health Data for London, primary care organisations, local authorities and patient/community partners. Collectively, these organisations are providing an additional £10m in cash and in-kind support.
The grant was awarded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to establish the EPSRC HeartTech Hub, one of five new national hubs developing tools to help people stay healthier for longer.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of early death and disability in the UK, affecting over seven million people and causing a quarter of all deaths. Many cases can be prevented or better managed through earlier diagnosis, regular monitoring and targeted interventions for people at risk.
However, many current approaches rely on hospital-based services, specialist staff and expensive equipment. This can make it harder for people in some parts of the country to access the care they need, contributing to health inequalities.
The new HeartTech Hub aims to develop accessible technologies to help shift CVD management from treatment to prevention, from analogue to digital, and from hospitals to communities, supporting the NHS and UK Government's 10-Year Health Plan.
By combining data from wearable devices, advanced imaging, health records and community-based health measurements, the Hub will develop new ways to identify people at risk and provide more personalised support before disease develops or progresses.
The Hub will also explore new imaging and computer modelling techniques that could help make CVD diagnosis quicker and more accessible, expanding it beyond specialist centres.
By bringing together health data and personalised risk models, the team will develop new ways for people to monitor and manage their heart health at home and in their local communities. This includes an AI-powered wellbeing coach that could help people make healthier lifestyle choices through personalised guidance, while also identifying and prompting when medical advice or further assessment may be needed.
The Hub will engage with the public and patients throughout to ensure the innovations are inclusive, trusted and designed around people's needs.
Professor Sebastien Ourselin, HeartTech Hub Director, commented: "Prevention has long been seen as the key to creating a more sustainable healthcare system, and it is a central part of the NHS 10 Year Plan. As a society, we have talked about shifting towards prevention for many years, but making that change at scale has been challenging because it requires technologies that can be used effectively in community settings, not just hospitals. We believe AI can be a positive disruptor in helping to make that shift a reality. What was not feasible 10 years ago is now within reach."
By combining advances in AI, imaging and wearable technologies, we have an opportunity not only to diagnose cardiovascular disease earlier, but also to help prevent it by supporting healthier behaviours. Working closely with GPs, patients and local communities, we want to bring advanced healthcare solutions closer to people's homes, making prevention, monitoring and early diagnosis more accessible to everyone.
Professor Sebastien Ourselin FREng FMedSci, Head of School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences and Assistant Principal (Innovation)
Earlier diagnosis means better outcomes for patients and less pressure on our NHS, and technology has a vital role to play. These healthcare hubs offer a powerful example of how scientific research can improve lives, whether that is using scans to catch heart disease earlier, or using AI to assess head injuries quicker.
Chris McDonald MP, Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation
