OneCareAI offers a technology that applies AI and supercomputing to detect early stroke risk from electrocardiogram data obtained with smartwatches
The technology, developed at BSC as part of the Innostroke project, has also potential for application in cardiovascular, metabolic and respiratory diseases.
Stroke is one of the diseases with the greatest global impact and, in Spain alone, 120,000 people suffer from it every year, of whom around 25,000 die.
The Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) has promoted the creation of its new spin-off OneCareAI, specialised in the early, personalised and real-time detection of the risk of suffering a stroke. With the launch of this new spin-off, BSC reinforces its commitment to innovation in digital health, offering a pioneering solution that uses supercomputing and artificial intelligence to improve the prevention and monitoring of a disease that is considered the second most common cause of death, the third most common cause of disability and one of the main causes of dementia in the world.
OneCareAI transfers to the market an accurate and non-invasive technology that uses electrocardiogram (ECG) data collected from wearable devices such as smartwatches and includes information about the patient's lifestyle through a mobile application. In Spain alone, 120,000 people suffer a stroke every year, of which around 25,000 die, according to data from the Spanish Ministry of Health.
"OneCareAI is a new way of understanding medical prevention by bringing together science, technology and personal well-being to anticipate cerebrovascular diseases and improve people's quality of life," says Davide Cirillo, co-founder of OneCareAI and leader of the Machine Learning for Biomedical Research unit at BSC's Life Sciences department. Although OneCareAI is initially focused on stroke prevention, its technology has the potential to be extended to other cardiovascular, metabolic and respiratory diseases, opening opportunities for scalability and future development.
This technology has been created within the framework of the Innostroke project and its development has involved profiles from different disciplines, such as biotechnologists and computer engineers from the BSC's Computer Sciences and Life Sciences departments. Researchers from the Sant Pau Hospital Research Institute in Barcelona have also collaborated, perfecting the predictive capacity of this technology with the incorporation of genetic and molecular biomarkers.
Pioneering technology based on AI and supercomputing
"The formation of OneCareAI is a decisive step in bringing our Innostroke technology to patients. This solution has been developed by applying advanced supercomputing and AI techniques to improve stroke prevention and monitoring in a non-invasive way," says Daniele Lezzi, co-founder of OneCareAI, senior researcher at BSC's Computer Sciences department and main developer of this technology since its inception in the framework of the European AI-Sprint project.
Unlike other existing solutions, OneCareAI combines multiomics data and electrocardiogram patterns to provide much more complete and accurate risk assessments. In addition, its technology is designed to be compatible with multiple devices already on the market.
This innovative technology could be of great benefit to hospital clinics, to improve patient management and monitoring through risk stratification processes; to medical device manufacturers, to whom it adds value by integrating predictive capabilities in electrocardiograms; or in telemedicine platforms, by facilitating the automation of diagnosis.
BSC's fourteenth spin-off
OneCareAI is the fourteenth spin-off promoted by the BSC in its 20 years of existence. A demonstration of the centre's firm commitment to transforming scientific knowledge into real impact for society. The thirteen previous spin-offs employ more than 380 highly qualified professionals and have managed to attract more than 40 million euros in private investment, consolidating an innovative ecosystem with great projection.
OneCareAI has also been promoted by the technology transfer programme of Mobile World Capital Barcelona, and has received support from national grants and from the Producte and Innovadors modalities of the Industry of Knowledge programme, promoted by the Department of Research and Universities of the Government of Catalonia. For its part, the Innostroke project has been funded by the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, and is part of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (ENIA).