Check@Home

2022

In the Netherlands, there is no national approach for early detection of cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and type 2-diabetes in the general population, despite the social and economic impact of these disorders. The Check@Home consortium was founded to fill this gap and aims to lower the morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes by 25% in the next ten years, and thereby decrease the burden of these chronic diseases.

The Focus

Due to common risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity and the aging population, the number of people suffering from cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease or type 2-diabetes is expected to increase excessively in 2030. A large proportion of people are not aware of having these diseases, as it is often present without overt symptoms. Fortunately, these chronic conditions can be detected at an early stage, allowing for adequate and early treatment to prevent (the progression of) these conditions and their complications. Check@Home aims to do so by developing a (cost-)effective national program that is accessible to all socio-economic groups and takes place in the citizen's own living environment, making it comfortable for citizens to do. It will also reduce the burden on primary care and contribute to the affordability and sustainability of healthcare. The program is designed and implemented in close collaboration with citizens, patients, and local citizen initiatives, to make sure that this program is a durable solution for all groups of society.

The Research

In total 160,000 people aged 50-75 years and living in Breda, Arnhem and Groningen, will be invited to participate in the study with a home-based test using the Check@Home digital platform. In case of early signs of cardiovascular disease, kidney damage or diabetes type 2, a targeted work-up will follow in a regional diagnostic center. If necessary, lifestyle advice and initiation of medication will be provided to relieve regular care as much as possible.

The Origin

At the request of several DCVA partners, including the Dutch Heart Foundation, which has earlier recognition of cardiovascular disease highly prioritized on its national research agenda, which was drawn up at the initiative of the Dutch Heart Foundation in 2014 and revised in 2020, the DCVA explored the potential for a national initiative to develop the first population screening for cardiovascular disease in 2020. The Check@Home study builds on previous studies, including the KidneyCheck study. To achieve a national approach to the early detection of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney damage, the DCVA, Dutch Heart Foundation, Dutch Kidney Foundation and Dutch Diabetes Fund established the Check@Home consortium. This is a collaboration of multiple research groups, private parties, and research funders: NWO, the Dutch Heart Foundation, the Dutch Kidney Foundation and the Dutch Diabetes Fund.

The projectcoördinators are Dr. Lyanne Kieneker and Dr. Stephanie van der Voorn.

Funded

Contact person:

Dr. Lyanne Kieneker

l.kieneker@dcvalliance.nl

Principal investigators

Prof. dr. Folkert Asselbergs

f.w.asselbergs@amsterdamumc.nl

Prof. dr. Ron Gansevoort

r.t.gansevoort@umcg.nl

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Cardiomyopathies, caused by genetic mutations affecting cardiac muscle components, pose significant economic and societal burdens due to their hereditary nature and early onset. Despite known genetic defects, predicting disease progression remains challenging due to extreme clinical variability. Recent research indicates that cardiomyopathy mutations induce metabolic stress, exacerbated by factors like obesity, which can accelerate disease progression. The Double Dose hypothesis suggests that targeting metabolic stress may offer preventive or curative strategies for these conditions.
The Focus
The Double Dose Consortium aims to understand how cardiomyopathy-causing mutations lead to structural changes in cardiomyocytes. This interdisciplinary effort combines experts in preclinical research, clinical genetics, health technology assessment, and clinical care focused on cardiomyopathy in both children and adults.
The Research
The consortium combines experts in preclinical research, clinical genetics, health technology assessment and clinical researchers with a strong clinical focus on cardiomyopathy in children and adults. These experts investigate how obesity and muscle adiposity contribute to vascular and cardiac muscle dysfunction in mutation carriers through the analysis of clinical data, patient samples, and experimental models. They will also study the mechanisms underlying ultrastructural changes in cardiomyocytes caused by these mutations, leading to impaired metabolism, contraction, relaxation defects, and disrupted cellular communication within the heart.
Utilizing extensive patient cohorts and ongoing studies, the consortium aims to optimize care for cardiomyopathy patients by assessing the cost-effectiveness of diagnostics and clinical interventions. They plan to translate findings on metabolic alterations into clinical trials targeting treatments that reduce metabolic stress. The Double Dose program will establish biobanks containing serum, tissue, and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) to provide mechanistic insights into cardiomyopathy pathophysiology and improve diagnosis and care.
Origin
This consortium was funded through the Impulse Grant program by the Dutch Heart Foundation, together with Stichting Hartedroom. The consortium is a continuation of the Dosis consortium, in which the interaction between mutation and external factors was investigated. They found that cardiomyopathy-mutations induce metabolic stress and that secondary metabolic stress, such as obesity accelerates disease progression.
 

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ECG project UMCU

2020

The correct interpretation of electrocardiograms (ECGs) is crucial for accurately diagnosing cardiac abnormalities. Current methods, both manual by physicians and computerized, have not achieved the level of accuracy comparable to cardiologists in detecting acute cardiac issues. Leveraging advancements in artificial intelligence and big data, particularly deep neural networks, offers promising avenues to improve ECG interpretation where traditional methods have fallen short. The ECG-Project develops deep learning algorithms to automate ECG interpretation, particularly focusing on areas where current methods are inadequate.
Through this research, we aim to revolutionize ECG interpretation, improving diagnostic accuracy, reducing healthcare resource utilization, and ultimately enhancing patient outcomes.
The Research
The project objectives are:

WP1: Creating an algorithm capable of accurately and swiftly triaging ECGs through transfer learning, uncovering features in diseases with unknown ECG characteristics (such as primary arrhythmia syndromes and genetic disorders).
WP2: design a portable multi-lead ecg-device, suitable for use by patients at home and healthcare professionals. This device will enable high-quality ECG acquisitions for rapid diagnosis.

Origin
This project is funded within the Innovative Medical Devices Initiative (IMDI) program 'Heart for Sustainable Care'. The focus of this program is the development of medical technology for the earlier detection, monitoring, and better treatment of cardiovascular diseases to ensure accessible healthcare and sufficient staffing. The program has been developed and funded by the Dutch Heart Foundation, ZonMw and NWO, who collaborate within the Dutch CardioVascular Alliance.

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