Technology To Predict Risk Of Heart Disease

For People With Lupus

Using technology to predict risk of heart disease for people with Lupus.

The Problem

Cardiovascular diseases are more common in people with systemic lupus erythematosus, this could be due to inflammation from lupus or from medications used to treat it. Lupus affects young women who don’t tend to get heart disease, the risk of it goes unrecognized as they don’t get the screening needed for prevention.

The Solution

An accurate way to measure cardiovascular risk specifically for people with lupus is needed to identify patients who may benefit from measures to prevent heart diseases.

 

What the Study will do

This study aims to develop and test a tool that will improve the accuracy of predicting risk of heart attacks and strokes, specifically in people with lupus.

The Research Study

Scientists will use artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop and test the SLE_CALCULATOR, a tool to predict risk of heart disease and stroke in people with lupus. Machine learning teaches computers to learn information from data using statistics.

This tool will use large amounts of clinical and biomarker data on risk factors for heart diseases and strokes in thousands of lupus patients. The tool will be available online for doctors and patients use.

Research Scientist

May Choi, Rheumatology, MD FRCPC, MPH

May Choi, Rheumatology, MD FRCPC, MPH

Research Scientist

Dr. May Choi is a recent graduate of the Cumming School of Medicine’s Adult Rheumatology training program. She’s also the Associate Director of MitogenDx and the Associate Director of Research at the University of Calgary’s Lupus Centre of Excellence.

Dr. Choi completed her Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) degree at the University of Calgary in 2010, her Doctor of Medicine at the University of Alberta in 2014 and Internal Medicine training at the University of Calgary in 2017. In 2021, she completed her Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology Program at Harvard University and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Lupus Fellowship under the supervision of Dr. Karen Costenbader.

Want to support this and other life-changing arthritis research projects?