OMRON Healthcare, Kyoto University Partner on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention

OMRON Healthcare Co. Ltd. and Kyoto University have announced a new collaborative research program called “Healthcare Medical AI” (principal researcher: Yasushi Okuno, Ph.D., prof., Department of Biomedical Data Intelligence, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University) to use artificial intelligence (AI) and an innovative data set of home measurements to prevent the events of cardiovascular disease.  
 
The first study in the program will explore how AI can derive new personalized blood pressure improvement methods based on both day and nighttime blood pressure fluctuation, home electrocardiography recordings, and lifestyle data. The aim is to achieve further improvement of high blood pressure management. The study will investigate how AI can accurately predict cardiovascular diseases at an early stage. 
 
Hypertension is the leading cause of death globally.¹ As cardiovascular diseases often result in requiring long-term nursing care, it is important to prevent events not only for the aspect of life risk but also in the light of maintaining quality of life. In Japan, approximately 43 million² people are hypertensive, of which 29 percent have been treated and poorly controlled their blood pressure values.³ To prevent life threatening events, further solutions need to be developed for patients who are suffering from hypertension. Even if blood pressure values are properly controlled, there are still chances for patients to develop an event. Therefore, early detection and early intervention into the hypertension care should be highlighted so events can be predicted during daily healthcare management.

“Amid the global pandemic of COVID-19 and the increase of the risk of collapsing the healthcare systems, one of the urgent challenges is the development of medical systems outside of hospitals,” said Okuno. “This is directly associated with the issues, which we are going to face in the very near future, such as escalation of medical costs due to super-aged society and the decrease of healthcare workers. In this collaborative research program, ‘Healthcare Medical AI,’ we would like to explore the solutions of how to prevent the event risks and how to spend happier and healthier lives at home in collaboration with a new type of healthcare system and AI studies.” 
 
The collaboration between Kyoto University and OMRON Healthcare focuses on two research themes: The development of a novel blood pressure management method and blood pressure analysis for early detection of cardiovascular events using AI. Regarding the novel blood pressure management method, the joint team will use AI technology to develop personalized blood pressure management by analyzing biological data sets (body weight, body composition, volume of activity and Na/K ratio⁴), and habits (smoking and drinking) daily. The team will develop a detection system of abnormal home measurement data of symptoms of cardiovascular events at an early stage. Since events occur unpredictably, early detection of the disease is one of the key challenges. By analyzing changes in various biological data set points measured at home using AI technology, it will be possible to detect signs of events faster and with higher probability so that treatment can be adjusted, realizing the prevention of cardiovascular events.
 
“OMRON’s Going for Zero mission is big and bold, and we cannot do it alone. This collaboration with Kyoto University to develop breakthrough new research involving Al and cardiovascular diseases is another example of how we are partnering with like-minded organizations to improve outcomes and make measurable strides to eliminate heart attacks and strokes,” said OMRON U.S. President and CEO Ranndy Kellogg.
 
“Collaboration is an essential if underused tool, opening brand new doors and ultimately making patients healthier. Our partnership with Kyoto University is an exciting example of this, combining OMRON Healthcare’s heritage and wealth of cardiovascular experience with the University’s expertise in applied AI research to health data. It is through collaborative initiatives like this that we can drive the healthcare industry forward,” added Andre Van Gils, OMRON Healthcare’s senior general manager, Global Sales & Marketing. “Our recent flagship program, Hypertension Plus with the NHS in the U.K. and VitalSight in North America, demonstrates the viability and usability of remote patient monitoring in day-to-day practice. This research programme with Kyoto University could stratify programs such as these, enabling a new generation of highly personalised, preventive care.”
 
OMRON Healthcare is globally recognized for its Going for Zero mission to eliminate heart attack and strokes. In the last six years, the company has expanded its business domain from blood pressure measurement to innovative devices including a wearable blood pressure monitor and healthcare management services. In the United States, the U.K., and Singapore, OMRON has launched new remote patient monitoring services which can be used to measure biological data sets from home and share the data with healthcare professionals, supporting them with better insight in their patients’ health conditions and required treatment plans, contributing to the Going for Zero mission. 
 
“Cumulative global sales of OMRON Healthcare’s home-use blood pressure monitors have reached 300 million units, and now they are accessible for people all around the world. However, at the same time, there are still many people who have been struggling with hypertension management and have suffered severe conditions,” said Takehiro Hamaguchi, senior general manager of Technology Development HQ at OMRON Healthcare Co. Ltd. “We have set up the collaborative research program “Healthcare Medical AI” with Kyoto University, and will explore the correlation between personal attributes, lifestyle and hypertension, then will discover the effective ways to improve the condition based on the learnings. Furthermore, we will try to find out the most effective system to prevent cardiovascular events with our innovative bio sensing technology and AI.” 
 
References:
¹ [1] GBD 2019 Risk Factors Collaborators, vol. 396, 10258, P1223-1249, 2020.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30752-2
² Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions in 2013
³ Guidelines for the management of hypertension in 2019
⁴ The urinary sodium : potassium (Na+:K+) ratio