Blood Test Uses AI to Detect Peripheral Artery Disease

Researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital and Prevencio, Inc. (Kirkland, Washington; USA) have developed a simple new blood test which accurately diagnoses significant Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), a circulatory problem in which plaque-narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to a patient’s limbs and kidneys. According to the data presented at American Heart Association 2017 Scientific Sessions, the test could be used as a gatekeeper to imaging or invasive testing, thereby reducing cost and exposures to intravenous contrast and/or ionizing radiation.

Prevencio employs machine learning, a state-of-the-art sub-set of artificial intelligence, and big data analytics to interrogate well-characterized clinical data sets. It focuses on diagnostic and predictive tests for cardiovascular disease and related adverse events, as well as for cardiovascular pharmaceutical research. The company’s proprietary HART Tests are leading the way in the proteomics and artificial intelligence era of improving cardiovascular medical care.

In the study, the researchers developed and validated a multi-protein blood test, HART PAD, which identifies the presence of PAD and predicts the need for a future medical intervention. The researchers tested 355 patients referred for diagnostic peripheral angiography and/or coronary angiography to Massachusetts General Hospital. When divided into low-risk and high-risk categories, the test predicted with 98% accuracy to exclude obstruction of the peripheral arteries. Additionally, the test predicted with 86% accuracy to identify obstruction of the peripheral arteries.

“This blood test may allow for the diagnosis and treatment of many more patients with PAD,” said James L. Januzzi, MD, Principal Investigator and a practicing cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. “And in addition to the opportunity for more appropriate care of patients, we believe it could benefit more cardiac clinical trials, by saving time and thereby lowering overall trial costs.”

“We are pleased to work with Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Januzzi and his researchers, and Myriad RBM to develop novel and highly accurate blood tests to improve diagnosis and treatment for millions of cardiovascular patients,” said Rhonda Rhyne, Prevencio’s Chief Executive Officer. “It is also highly rewarding to work with pharmaceutical companies to improve drug development and decrease clinical trial expenses.”

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