Maastricht partners with Apollo – Microsoft Cardiac Global Data Consortium to expand the AI Network for Cardiology in Europe

The Maastricht University has signed an agreement with the Apollo-Microsoft Cardiology Consortium to help expand the AI Network for Cardiology and research on cardiovascular diseases in the Netherlands. The partnership was announced at the inaugural session of the DST-CII India Netherlands Technology Summit at New Delhi, in the presence of His Majesty Willem–Alexander, the King of the Netherlands and Mr. Harsh Vardhan, Honorable Minister for Science and Technology, Health & Family Welfare, Government of India. Her Majesty, the Queen and other ministers from the Dutch government also graced the occasion.

Apollo Hospitals–Microsoft Consortium is building the AI Network for Cardiology to develop an India-specific heart risk score and better predict cardiac diseases for the general population with the help of Apollo’s database and expertise in the field, and Microsoft’s leading cloud and AI tools. The algorithm is based on a vast amount of data pooled from over 200,000 patients treated at six of Apollo’s hospitals. At Maastricht, the model will now be validated using data from the Maastricht Study (a long-term cohort health study in the Maastricht region) and from the Heart+Vascular Center at Maastricht University Medical Center.

“Using this technology, from the countryside of India to the city of Maastricht, we can identify people at risk for cardiovascular disease,” says André Dekker, professor of Clinical Data Science at Maastricht University. “And we can also give them very specific advice to adjust their lifestyle to reduce the risk,” he adds.

Launched in August 2018 by Microsoft India and Apollo Hospitals, the AI-powered Cardiovascular Disease Risk Score API (application program interface) is the first-ever Intelligent Platform designed specifically to predict the risk of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) in the Indian population. Over the past year, doctors across the Apollo network of hospitals have been successfully leveraging this AI-powered API to predict the risk of CVD and drive preventive cardiac care across the country.

Dr. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group says, “Cardiovascular diseases account for a significant 30% of the mortality in India. We found there was an unmet need to conduct a study that would analyze patient data to determine and interpret risk factors associated with cardiovascular diseases in the Indian population. Building on the success of our partnership with Microsoft that led to the development of an India-specific AI-powered risk score for heart disease, we are taking this collaboration to the global stage in partnership with international organizations. The international consortium will enable a global validation of the algorithms and expand the scope of the risk score to cover multiple conditions in cardiovascular disease. The partnership with renowned health systems across the world to scale the API will go a long way in helping achieve the World Health Organization’s goal of reducing the risk of premature mortality from non-communicable diseases, including CVDs, by 25% by 2025.”

“We are delighted to be part of the digital transformation journey with leading healthcare providers, our customers, and partners. AI’s significant role in predictive disease analysis and monitoring will enable doctors and healthcare providers with greater insights into their treatment plans thereby improving patient outcomes. This partnership with Maastricht is a great step towards our vision to engage global consortium partners to scale AICVD API,” said Anil Bhansali, Corporate Vice President, Cloud & AI Platform, Microsoft.

The goal of the international consortium is to achieve a Standard Cardiac Risk Score. This will enable doctors across the world to identify cardiac risks in patients and design a structured road map to reduce risks, with the aim of a long-term reduction in the global burden of cardiac disease.