The INFANT Research Centre at University College Cork has been nominated as a finalist in this year’s AI Awards 2021 for “Best application of AI in an Academic Research Body”.
INFANT’s nomination is based on the work of researchers who are developing AI-based technologies for automated detection of brain injuries in newborns.
Newborn brain injuries account 23% of all infant deaths and over 1 million cases of permanent disability each year. Timely and accurate diagnosis of these injuries are essential to provide treatment and help improve patient outcomes. EEG monitoring is the gold standard for neurological monitoring, however it requires specialised expertise to both set up the monitoring systems and to interpret the EEG traces.
The team at INFANT have previously developed machine learning algorithms for neonatal EEG interpretation, achieving state-of-the-art performance.
Recent advances on the Neurobell project, led by Dr. Mark O’Sullivan, are focused on bringing this disruptive technology toward everyday clinical use. The project is developing an end‑to-end diagnostics solution, which integrates portable and wireless monitoring with on-board AI.
EEG monitoring is currently limited to tertiary-care hospitals. By developing a portable monitor with on‑board decision support, the team aim to widen the demographic of hospitals capable of providing EEG monitoring for high-risk newborns.
The impact of this means that neurological monitoring of newborns can be performed accurately and routinely at the cot side, across all hospital settings, helping those in need to be diagnosed and treated in a timely manner.
This research leverages the power of AI and inter-disciplinary research, combining engineering, computer science and clinical expertise to develop a solution that meets the clinical need for a robust neonatal brain monitoring system.
The Virtual Awards Ceremony will take place on Thursday 25th November with tickets available at: https://aiawards.ie/eventbrite-event/2021-ai-awards-virtual-event/
