UCD partners on €8.2 million centre to improve cardiovascular care
Pictured: A cardiovascular monitoring device (Ulster University)
Posted January 22, 2018
University College Dublin will provide data analytics and artificial intelligence expertise as a partner in the new €8.2 million (opens in a new window)Eastern Corridor Medical Engineering Centre (ECME).
The ECME is a cross-border centre for cardiovascular medicine. It includes partners from the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland and is funded by the European Union INTERREG VA Programme.
Cardiovascular disease is responsible for medical emergencies like stroke and heart attack. It is the cause of 26% of all deaths in the United Kingdom and 30% in the Republic of Ireland. These are often preventable. The Irish Heart Foundation is aiming for a 25% reduction in the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease by 2025.
Researchers from the ECME will work to create better models of heart disease and develop wearable technology and remote monitoring systems to improve clinical outcomes and patient experience.
Professor Brian Caulfield, Dean of Physiotherapy at UCD and a director of the (opens in a new window)Insight Centre for Data Analytics, will be a principal investigator at ECME.
“At UCD and the at the (opens in a new window)UCD Beacon Hospital Academy we are combining expertise in artificial intelligence, data mining, human computer interaction, wearable sensors and clinical research to explore the role that patient-generated data can have in driving an enhanced understanding of heart failure and promotion of self-management strategies,” said Professor Caulfield.
He will be joined at the ECME by Professor Tahar Kechadi, Dr Brian MacNamee and Dr David Coyle, all from the Insight Centre for Data Analytics and (opens in a new window)UCD School of Computer Science. Dr David Burke from the Cardiology Department at the Beacon Hospital will also be part of the research team.
“This is a project which has the potential to positively transform the lives of thousands of people and their families across Northern Ireland, the border region of Ireland and Western Scotland,” said Gina McIntyre, CEO, (opens in a new window)Special EU Programmes Body.
“By increasing the levels of cross-border Research and Innovation within the Health & Life Sciences sector, there is the opportunity to create a strong economic impact, and this is one of the core objectives of the INTERREG VA Programme.”
“We are excited about the potential impact that the research generated by the ECME project could have on patient outcomes,” said David McEneaney MD, Consultant Cardiologist, (opens in a new window)Southern Health and Social Care Trust.
“There have been many innovations in recent years which have transformed how we treat patients and we believe this project will further enhance the well established research collaboration between Craigavon Cardiovascular Research Unit and the academic partners.”
University College Dublin is a partner on ECME with Ulster University, Southern Health and Social Care Trust, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Dublin City University and the University of the Highlands and Islands.
By: Jonny Baxter, digital journalist, UCD University Relations
