2024/12/05

CIC bioGUNE joins a pioneering European project addressing personalized cardiovascular disease prevention in middle-aged women based on AI

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among women in the EU: 17% of women die from CVD before the age of 65 (ESC, 2020).

CARAMEL aims to develop and validate an innovative stratification approach for personalized prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in middle-aged women (40-60 years), using cutting-edge diagnostic technologies and digital data sources.

This Horizon Europe project, involving 25 European partners and coordinated by the Vicomtech Technology Center, includes the participation of four Basque entities: CIC bioGUNE, the Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute, ULMA Medical Technologies, and A3Z Advanced.

The 25 partners from different European countries, including the four Basque entities, came together on December 3rd, 4th, and 5th in San Sebastián for the launch of CARAMEL. This Horizon Europe-funded project is designed to develop and validate an innovative stratification approach for the personalized prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in middle-aged women around the menopause transition (40-60 years) using advanced digital technologies.

Cardiovascular health for women is an urgent unmet clinical need, as reported by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). CVD is the leading cause of death in women in the European Union, with 17% of women dying from CVD before the age of 65 (ESC, 2020). It also results in many non-fatal CVD events at an early age with long-term consequences. CVD is underdiagnosed, undertreated, and poorly understood, with prevention being especially crucial around the menopause period, when women's cardiovascular risk increases.

In this context, the CARAMEL project was born, coordinated by Vicomtech, offering an innovative model for personalized prevention targeted at women aged 40 to 60. The project is based on a stratification model that incorporates additional female-specific risk factors into CVD risk models. Moreover, it aims to better personalize cardiovascular risk assessment using available information from clinical records, diagnostic images, and new technologies based on molecular or imaging biomarkers.

The personalized risk assessment will lead to an innovative approach to prevention, focusing on knowledge, self-assessment, and self-management of risks using innovative digital technologies, empowering women to optimize their cardiovascular health.

To achieve this, CARAMEL proposes utilizing multiple existing data sources from clinical repositories or previous research studies. Additionally, a clinical study will be conducted with 3,000 women across Europe, 600 of them in Gipuzkoa, to develop risk models and better understand women's needs regarding prevention at this stage of life, followed by a study with 600 women to evaluate new preventive strategies.

CARAMEL is supported by the European Union with €12 million funding from the Horizon Europe program. With a total duration of 60 months, the project includes 25 European partners, five of which are based in the Basque Country: ULMA Medical Technologies, CIC bioGUNE, A3Z Advanced, Biogipuzkoa, and project coordinator Vicomtech.

In particular, CIC bioGUNE, member of BRTA, will offer its expertise in biomarker research for identifying cardiovascular risk in precision medicine. The center will analyse approximately 12,000 serum samples using its advanced nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology. This work will focus on detecting specific metabolites related to cardiovascular diseases, representing CIC bioGUNE's contribution to advancing more accurate and personalized diagnostics.

The CARAMEL project aims to address the specific cardiovascular health needs of women from a comprehensive perspective, incorporating social, psychological, and biological aspects. Thanks to CARAMEL, we will be one step closer to overcoming persistent barriers and biases in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases in women, thus integrating a gender dimension into research.

About CIC bioGUNE
The Cooperative Research Center in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE), member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), located in the Bizkaia Technology Park, is a biomedical research organization conducting cutting-edge research at the interface between structural, molecular, and cellular biology, with a particular focus on generating knowledge about the molecular bases of diseases for use in the development of new diagnostic methods and advanced therapies.

About BRTA
BRTA is an alliance of four collaborative research centers (CIC bioGUNE, CIC nanoGUNE, CIC biomaGUNE, and CIC energiGUNE) and 13 technological centers (Azterlan, Azti, Ceit, Cidetec, Gaiker, Ideko, Ikerlan, Leartiker, Lortek, Neiker, Tecnalia, Tekniker, and Vicomtech), with the primary goal of developing advanced technological solutions for the Basque business sector.

With support from the Basque Government, the SPRI Group, and the Provincial Councils of the three regions, the alliance seeks to promote collaboration between research centers, strengthen conditions for generating and transferring knowledge to businesses, contributing to their competitiveness, and disseminating Basque scientific-technological capacity internationally.

BRTA employs 3,500 professionals, executes 22% of the Basque Country’s R&D investment, registers annual revenues of over €300 million, and generates 100 European and international patents every year.

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