The SEPI-IA prototype, funded with 5 million euros by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, through the CDTI, allows for the identification of lesions invisible to the naked eye and simulates the progression of pulmonary fibrosis.
Artificial intelligence can help to anticipate how some lung diseases will progress before the damage is irreversible. This is the basis of the SEPI-IA (Simulation Evolutive Pulmonary Interstitial with Intelligence Artificial) project, a technological prototype that will be clinically validated at Bellvitge University Hospital.
The project aims to improve the diagnosis and monitoring of interstitial lung diseases, a group of complex conditions that can progress to pulmonary fibrosis and often have a highly variable course between patients. These diseases affect thousands of people in the country and often have a complex diagnosis, with symptoms that can be confused with other respiratory conditions.
The Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, signed the deed of cession for the prototype to the hospital centre on Monday with the Catalan Health Minister, Olga Pané.
The Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities have funded the tool with 5 million euros as part of the PERTE for Advanced Health program of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan.
Anticipating disease progression
Interstitial lung diseases include more than 150 different conditions, many of them rare, which can cause scarring in the lung and make breathing difficult. Currently, imaging tests allow us to see the state of the lung at a specific point in time, but it is not always possible to anticipate how the disease will progress in each individual.
The SEPI-IA prototype transforms traditional black-and-white diagnostic images into colour-coded representations, capable of identifying high-risk radiological patterns and estimating the future progression of pulmonary fibrosis. This technology allows for the detection of lesions that might otherwise be missed and helps professionals make more informed therapeutic decisions.
Clinical validation at Bellvitge
The system will be validated at the Bellvitge Hospital, a centre of reference for complex respiratory diseases.
According to Maria Molina, head of the Pulmonary Interstitial Functional Unit at Bellvitge Hospital, scientific director of IDIBELL and project leader, this type of tool can help to improve the diagnosis and monitoring of patients. If the clinical validation is positive, tools like SEPI-IA could help to predict the progression of pulmonary fibrosis years before the deterioration becomes irreversible.
‘Artificial intelligence can help us to detect patterns that are not visible to the naked eye and to anticipate how the disease may progress,’ she explains.
Currently, there is no validated tool within the National Health System that allows for the individual simulation of the progression of these diseases.
Technological innovation applied to health
The development of the prototype has been carried out as part of a Pre-Commercial Procurement initiative, managed by the Centre for the Development of Technology and Innovation (CDTI).
The project has involved Tecnalia, a European technology research centre based in the Basque Country, and GMV, a company specialising in advanced technological solutions.
Minister Diana Morant has highlighted that this type of initiative contributes to driving innovation that strengthens the healthcare system and improves people's health.
More information on the website of the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities.