AI identifies genes linked to heart failure

Genetic research led by Queen Mary University of London could open the way to earlier identification of people at risk of heart failure and to the development of new treatments. The Queen Mary University of London team applied an artificial intelligence (AI) technique to analyse the heart MRI images of 17,000 healthy UK Biobank volunteers. They found that genetic factors accounted for 22-39 per cent of variation in the size and function of the heart's left ventricle, the organ's main pumping chamber. Enlargement and reduced pumping function of the left ventricle can lead to heart failure. The research, which was part-funded by the Wellcome Trust and the British Heart Foundation and published today in the journal Circulation, suggests that genetic factors significantly influence the variation in heart structure and function.