VALIDATE: Making AI safe and useful in stroke care

VALIDATE: Making AI safe and useful in stroke care

VALIDATE is a European research project working to make sure artificial intelligence
(AI) can be used safely and reliably to enable improved recovery for stroke survivors.
When someone arrives at hospital with a stroke, doctors must make very fast decisions about treatment. But every stroke patient is different, and it can be hard to predict how someone will recover.

VALIDATE is developing AI tools that analyse patient information such as brain scans and medical history to help doctors choose the most suitable treatment for the best possible recovery. The project will also make sure that the AI is carefully tested, fair, safe and trustworthy before it is used in everyday care.

How could AI help in stroke treatment?
The most common type of stroke happens when a blood clot blocks blood flow to the
brain. Doctors currently use two main treatments:

• Clot-busting medication that dissolves the clot
• Mechanical thrombectomy, a procedure where doctors manually remove the clot

Both treatments can be lifesaving, but their effectiveness varies from person to person. Things like age, overall health and how quickly treatment begins can all affect recovery.
VALIDATE is creating AI systems that learn from large amounts of patient data to
help doctors estimate how a patient might recover and support them in choosing the
best treatment.

Why is research participation so important?
AI must be tested in studies in real clinical situations to make sure it truly helps patients and does not introduce errors or unfair bias.

Dr Marta Rubiero, stroke neurologist and clinical validation lead in VALIDATE, explains:
“When a patient arrives at hospital with a stroke, we need to make treatment decisions very quickly. Our research in VALIDATE helps us understand which treatment may give each patient the best chance of recovery. Clinical research is how we improve care and make sure new tools are truly safe and effective.”

In VALIDATE, hospitals, researchers, patients and technology experts work together.
This collaboration ensures AI systems are based on real evidence and can be trusted in everyday medical practice.

Arlene Wilkie, Director General of the Stroke Alliance for Europe (SAFE), said:
“Research participation is essential to improving stroke care. VALIDATE shows how working together can lead to trustworthy innovations that benefit patients and families.”

For more information, see video: https://youtu.be/j44yTI-arsU  

Or visit the Validate website: https://validate-project.eu 

The VALIDATE project receives funding from the European Commission’s Horizon Europe Programme under grant agreement number 101057263.