International Research Collaboration Aims to Personalise Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases

33 leading international partners, supported by the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI), have teamed up to launch the research consortium iCARE4CVD to better understand cardiovascular disease and optimise future prevention and treatment. By creating one database consisting of data from more than 1 million patients and using artificial intelligence, partners will look for new strategies to shift from a one-size-fits-all approach to personalised care.

MAASTRICHT, Netherlands, Oct. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The international public-private research consortium iCARE4CVD (individualised care from early risk of cardiovascular disease to established heart failure) has launched to better understand cardiovascular disease and optimise future prevention and treatment. The consortium brings together 33 leading international partners from civil society, academia and industry, and is led and coordinated by Maastricht University and global healthcare company Novo Nordisk.

Cardiovascular disease is very prevalent worldwide with enormous socio-economic impact. It is still the most common cause of death, despite significant advances in therapy. Due to population ageing and unhealthy lifestyle, the number of Europeans suffering from CVD currently exceeds 85 million and is still on the rise. This underscores the critical need for better care pathways to reduce the impact of CVD.

“As doctors, we are mostly bound to a one-size-fits-all approach while treating our patients with CVD. Our mission however, within iCARE4CVD, is to personalise diagnosis and management of CVD to improve both outcome and patient satisfaction. We will achieve this by collecting data of more than 1 million subjects in a federated database, analysing them using artificial intelligence (AI) and prospectively validating personalized treatments during the second half of iCARE4CVD,” said Prof Hans-Peter Brunner-La Rocca, coordinator of iCARE4CVD and cardiologist at Maastricht University and Maastricht University Medical Center+ (Maastricht UMC+).

To improve patient outcomes, iCARE4CVD aims to improve four aspects of current care:

1) Early diagnosis and classification into clinically meaningful subgroups
2) Risk stratification defining urgency for intervention
3) Prediction of individual treatment response
4) Inclusion of outcomes based on patient perspectives

“CVD encompasses a range of intricate, chronic conditions, with atherosclerosis being the most prevalent. Many questions remain about why some individuals with risk factors develop CVD while others do not, and how CVD progresses to more severe stages. iCARE4CVD represents a significant stride towards a deeper comprehension of CVD and the customization of interventions at each stage, catering to individual needs much more effectively,” said Prof Kees Hovingh, Senior Medical Officer and iCARE4CVD Scientific Leader at Novo Nordisk.

The voices of people at risk for and those currently living with CVD will be at the heart of iCARE4CVD during the entire project, by using patients’ insights, opinions and wishes. They will help to translate the findings into a more patient-centric and equitable narrative around CVD and its multiple impacts on individuals from both a social and medical perspective.

iCARE4CVD will also investigate health outcomes in people with type 1 diabetes at risk of developing CVD, explains Dr Jeanette Soderberg, Director at JDRF. “With the help of such a large European collaboration, we will investigate the impact of novel therapies typically used in type 2 diabetes on clinically important outcomes in the traditionally underappreciated but growing population of type 1 diabetes at risk. With the help of biomarkers, we will also be able to determine who’s in most need for such intervention.” 

iCARE4CVD has been granted €22 million in funding from the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) - a joint undertaking of the European Commission and the European life science industry. The project officially kicked off its activities across Europe in October 2023 and will run until 31 March 2028.

Project facts

Project acronym:	iCARE4CVD
Start date:	01 October 2023
Duration:	54 months
Budget:	€ 22 Mio
Coordination:	University Maastricht, Prof Hans-Peter Brunner-La Rocca
Project Lead:	Novo Nordisk A/S, Dr Nicholas Ciccone
Website:	www.icare4cvd.eu

Austria	Medizinische Universität Wien
Belgium	Thomas More Kempen VZW
Denmark	Novo Nordisk A/S
France	Bayer Healthcare SAS France Fondation Francophone pour la Recherche sur le Diabete Huawei Technologies France INSERM/Mondor Biomedical Research
Germany	Charite - Universitaetsmedizin Berlin Evotec International GmbH Deutsche Stiftung für chonisch Kranke Universitätsklinikum Aachen WIG2 GmbH
Ireland	University College Dublin
Italy	Fondazione Human Technopole Instituto di ricerche farmacologiche Mario Negri
Netherlands	Catalyze B.V. Erasmus Universitair Medisch Centrum Rotterdam Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum Maastricht University Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepast natuurwetenschappelijk onderzoek Philips Medical Systems Nederland BV Stichting IMEC Nederland Universitair Medisch Centrum Groningen
Sweden	Astrazeneca AB
Switzerland	Amgen (Europe) GmbH Decentriq Roche Diagnostics International AG Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics
United Kingdom	Orbital Global The Queen’s University of Belfast University of Glasgow
United States	Eli Lilly and Company and its Affiliates JDRF International

Funding acknowledgement
This project is supported by the Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI JU) under grant agreement No 101112022. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and COCIR, EFPIA, Vaccines Europe, EuropaBio, MedTech Europe and JDRF International.

About IHI
The Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) is a public-private partnership (PPP) between the European Union and the European life science industries. The partners of IHI are the European Union, represented by the European Commission, and the European life science industry, represented by the industry associations COCIR, EFPIA (including Vaccines Europe), EuropaBio and MedTech Europe. The core goals at IHI, are to translate health research and innovation into tangible benefits for patients and society, and ensure that Europe remains at the cutting edge of interdisciplinary, sustainable, patient-centric health research. IHI has a total budget of €2.4 billion and is funded jointly by the EU and by industry associations representing Europe’s life science industries. For further information: www.ihi.europe.eu

Disclaimer
Funded by the European Union, the private members, and those contributing partners of the IHI JU. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the aforementioned parties. Neither of the aforementioned parties can be held responsible for them.

Further information
For questions about this press release or requests for interviews, please contact:
Rik van Laake, press officer, Maastricht UMC+
0031-621884122
rik.van.laake@mumc.nl

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