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Approved research

AI Enabled Structure and Function Analysis for Establishing the Eye as the Window to the Heart and Brain

Principal Investigator: Dr Yalin Zheng
Approved Research ID: 54078
Approval date: February 4th 2020

Lay summary

This project aims to study whether the eyes are the windows to the heart and brain. The human eyes are transparent in nature and thus easy to be imaged without direct contact and radiation. The eyes are ideal to study problems of the other critical organs such as the brain and heart which include, but not limited to, dementia, hypertension, stroke, heart disease and so on. In this project we will explore the unique potential of the UKBiobank imaging dataset for improving the health of future generations. We plan to apply artificial intelligence techniques for the analysis of images of the eye, heart and brain so as to generate important features to represent the health of these organs and their relationships. Based on the geometries obtained from image analysis, we will study the blood flow patterns of the eyes and physical properties of the heart by developing sophisticated computer models. The outputs from the project will help us to understand disease mechanism, prevent and diagnose critical conditions in an early manner in the future. The project will last 36 months.