CA20124 - Maximising impact of multidisciplinary research in early diagnosis of neonatal brain injury (AI-4-NICU)

Five in every 1000 babies born each year have a condition linked to brain injury. For newborn term infants, lack of oxygen is a common cause of injury; for premature infants, an immature cardiovascular system can lead to brain injury. These injuries can result in death, cerebral palsy, or neurodevelopmental delay. Early diagnosis is essential for risk stratification and targeted neuro-protective strategies. Central to an early diagnosis is continuous brain monitoring.

The AI4NICU Action will create a pan-European multidisciplinary network with the clinical and technical expertise required to bring artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled decision-support tools to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). These AI tools build on existing cot-side technologies, such as the electroencephalogram, by including machine-learning algorithms to detect biomarkers of brain injury.

Neuro-physiological data sets are limited in size and scope and not freely available; AI4NICU will develop the tools necessary to acquire, pool, share, and manage data. These data are often complex and noisy, and standards for developing and appraising machine-learning algorithms are lacking; AI4NICU will create a framework to develop, test, and compare these algorithms. A lack of coordinated effort, sometimes exacerbated by a disconnect between clinicians and scientists/engineers, impedes progress; AI4NICU will expand the research community, consolidate existing fragmented efforts, and create and enhance productive synergies.

Working with all stakeholders, AI4NICU will identify roadblocks to clinical implementation and propose designs for clinically useful prototypes. This Action will address the urgent, unmet need to reduce the potentially catastrophic life-long consequences of neonatal brain injury.