AI uncovers genes linked to heart failure

Artificial intelligence has been embraced for its ability to offer insight from big data. By applying the technology to genetics, a research team led by Queen Mary University of London has found clues that they say could aid the development of new drugs for heart failure and identify people at risk of the disease. Based on an AI analysis of heart MRI images from 17,000 volunteers in UK Biobank, the researchers linked genetic factors to 22% to 39% of abnormalities in the size and function of the heart's left ventricle, which pumps blood into the aorta. They published the findings in the journal Circulation. The team identified or confirmed 14 regions in the human genome that play a part in determining the size and function of the left ventricle, because they contain genes that regulate the early development of heart chambers and the contraction of heart muscle.