EU Project Integrates Genomics and AI to Tailor Heart Disease Treatment
The NextGen project is combining genomic data with clinical records and cardiac imaging into a single system to train AI models that can personalize cardiovascular care across Europe. The EU-funded initiative launched in 2024 and addresses a fundamental problem: patient information sits in separate databases with incompatible formats, making it impossible for doctors to access the complete picture needed for tailored treatment.
Cardiovascular disease kills more people globally than any other condition, yet treatment remains largely standardized. NextGen aims to change that by breaking down data silos that currently prevent hospitals and clinics from sharing information securely.
The fragmentation problem
Genomic sequences live in one database. Cardiac imaging exists in another. Clinical histories sit elsewhere. Privacy regulations and technical incompatibilities make it harder still to combine these datasets into coherent patient profiles.
The consortium is building tools to create what it calls a "digital fabric" - an interoperable environment where different data types can coexist without losing clinical meaning or patient privacy. This allows researchers to train AI models on richer, more complete patient information than currently available.
Steffen Petersen, a professor at Queen Mary University of London and NextGen partner, said: "Clinicians rely on a wide range of clinical information to diagnose disease, predict risk, guide treatment and monitor outcomes. However, health data science has not yet fully captured the power of multimodal data such as symptoms, signs, electrocardiograms, blood tests, and imaging."
Privacy and control built in
The project embeds ethical constraints directly into its systems rather than treating privacy as an afterthought. Patients retain greater control over their information, and researchers can access datasets without exposing sensitive data or transferring it between institutions.
Five clinical sites are currently running pilot programs to test the NextGen tools in real hospital settings. These pilots will demonstrate whether the system can deliver personalized medicine effectively across different European healthcare systems.
The work addresses a practical need: as European hospitals become more interconnected, they need standards for sharing data securely while maintaining clinical context and patient trust.
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