
A better way to predict a patient's risk of coronary artery disease Scripps Research scientists developed a model that more accurately identifies patients at risk of coronary artery disease and can inform tailored treatment.
April 16, 2025
LA JOLLA, CA Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. Although effective preventative treatments exist, these measures are often underutilized, in part because people don't know they're at risk of CAD until it's too late.
Now, scientists at the Scripps Research Translational Institute have developed a machine learning model that more accurately estimates a patient's risk of CAD compared to the standard clinical practice, which is based primarily on age. The findings, published in Nature Medicine on April 16, 2025, leveraged data that spanned 10 years. Their new model is personalized and integrates factors including genetics, lifestyle and medical history, enabling clinicians to provide patients with advice and preventative treatment tailored to their individual needs.
I think more precise and personalized risk prediction could motivate patients to engage in early prevention, says senior author Ali Torkamani, PhD, professor and director of Genomics and Genome Informatics at the Scripps Research Translational Institute. Our model first predicts the risk that a person will develop CAD, and then it provides information to allow personalized intervention.
CAD is caused by a buildup of plaque in the heart's arteries, which then blocks blood supply. Many people don't realize they have CAD until they experience a heart attack, but the disease is cumulative the earlier treatment begins, the more effective it will be.
We tend to observe bad outcomes for CAD in patients who are in their mid-50s and older, but the disease actually begins to develop much earlier, sometimes even while people are teenagers. Theres a lot of room for us to take action, says first author Shang-Fu Shaun' Chen, a former doctoral student in Torkamani's group.
To enable more accurate CAD risk prediction, Torkamani's team set out to create a model that incorporates factors beyond age, including genetic predisposition, lifestyle and medical history. They used data from the UK Biobank to train a machine learning model to recognize factors associated with CAD. Then, they tested the model on longitudinal data from a different cohort of individuals within the Biobank to see whether it could predict their risk of developing CAD over the course of 10 years based on their baseline data.
The model started with around 2,000 predictive features that could factor into CAD risk, but the team eventually whittled this list down to 53 risk factors. These included physical measurements, blood biomarkers, family medical history, mental illness, sleep duration and the presence of specific gene variants.
The new model outperformed the standard clinical model and enabled the prediction of two times as many CAD events. After 10 years of follow-up, 62.9% of individuals that the model categorized as being at highest risk had developed CAD, compared to only 0.3% of individuals in the lowest risk group.
The new model is personalized and integrates factors including genetics, lifestyle and medical history, enabling clinicians to provide patients with advice and preventative treatment tailored to their individual needs. Credit: Scripps Research Compared to traditional clinical tools, the new model improved risk classification for approximately one in four individuals helping to better identify those truly at risk while avoiding unnecessary concern for those who are not, said Chen.
The model's accuracy was partially due to its better ability to predict CAD in groups of people who are usually categorized as low risk, such as younger individuals and women.
Our model can pick up individuals who would be considered at low risk of CAD due to their age, but who are actually high risk due to their underlying genetics, says Torkamani.
Though the model's accuracy depended on the inclusion of multiple factors, the team showed that genetic predisposition was by far the strongest predictor of CAD risk. This included not only genetic predisposition for CAD itself, but also for related conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
The higher your genetic risk for one of those traits high cholesterol levels or high blood pressure levels or high diabetes risk the greater benefit you get from intervening on that particular aspect through medication or lifestyle changes, says Torkamani.
When the team validated the model using the National Institutes of Health All of Us dataset which includes more diverse populations than the UK Biobank they showed it was able to predict CAD risk equally well for people with European, African and Hispanic ancestries.
Now, the researchers are planning a long-term clinical trial to test whether informing patients of their risk of CAD can help prevent the disease.
We think the most important thing is for patients to be aware of their individual risks so that they can receive the appropriate treatments and make lifestyle changes, says Chen.
In addition to Torkamani and Chen, authors of the study, Meta-Prediction of Coronary Artery Disease Risk, include Hossein J. Sadaei, Ahmed Khattab, Corneliu Henegar, Nathan E. Wineinger and Evan D. Muse of Scripps Research; Sang Eun Lee of University of Ulsan College of Medicine; Jun-Bean Park of Seoul National University Hospital; and Jei-Fu Chen of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
This work was supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health (R01HG010881 and UM1TR004407) and the Scripps Research HPC team, including JC Ducom and Lisa Dong.
Heart Disease Torkamani, Ali
Most recent headlines
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
01/05/2025
Paul Reubens appears in Pee-wee as Himself, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Michael Ochs A...
01/05/2025
After four years of lectures, study sessions, exams, and parties, college senior...
01/05/2025
72.4% of overall TV viewing in Q1 2025 is of content that includes advertising
...
01/05/2025
NEW YORK LiveNow From Fox, Fox Television Stations' national news streaming service, has released viewing data showing the first quarter was the best quarte...
01/05/2025
The global installed base of Smart TVs and Connected TV (CTV) devices will reach 4.2 billion units by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 9.6% from 2.65 billion in 2025,...
01/05/2025
Samsung TV Plus has announced that it is expanding its existing lineup of more than 50 sports channels with five new free, ad-supported streaming television (FA...
01/05/2025
MELBOURNE, Fla. Carlo DiMarco has joined USSI Global as vice president of strategic marketing and growth, with responsibility for strategic business development...
01/05/2025
WASHINGTON The NAB has filed a wide-ranging rebuttal to proposals by the pay TV industry that the FCC delete and/or significantly change rules governing retrans...
01/05/2025
WASHINGTON The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has filed a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from firing three of its board members, claiming the pre...
01/05/2025
HONG KONG Riedel Communications today said it has opened a new office in Hong Kong, enhancing its presence in the Asia-Pacific region....
01/05/2025
MUMBAI, India & BALTIMORE In a development that could advance efforts to bring NextGen TV to cellphones, FreeStream Technologies, Lava International and HMD hav...
01/05/2025
01 05 2025 - Media release Screen Australia empowers 100 distinctive Australian narratives
All The Boys Are Here writer/director Goran Stolevski and It s All...
01/05/2025
How PFX Delivered 750 VFX Shots in Just Four Months For Anthony Hopkins Thriller...
01/05/2025
Careline's New Wave Makeup Commercial Shot With URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton May 1, 2025
0 Comments
CAD Studios relies on large format, full fram...
01/05/2025
Telling the story: Extensive technical set-up delivers comprehensive Special Oly...
01/05/2025
Just Around the Bend: Olympic Broadcasting Services Readies for the Milano-Corti...
01/05/2025
Wireless Microphone Spectrum Alliance Gets Going With Lobbying To Ensure RF Acce...
01/05/2025
Voice actor and producer Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff shares his first impressions of the DPA 2017 Shotgun Microphone, from real-world auditions to side-by-side compa...
01/05/2025
With my previous console, Freeman recalls, I always had to run a Waves server for EQ and compression, but when I switched to DiGiCo, I found it was such an op...
01/05/2025
Stream all episodes ofLook Who's Hangry from April 29
An RT Player Original in partnership with Heinz...
01/05/2025
Here is your host, Patrick Kielty!
T naiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and T...
01/05/2025
Exclusive interviews and un-seen footage feature in new two-part series...
01/05/2025
May brings more than just rainbows and sunshine - it's also time for fresh adventures and epic battles. This GFN Thursday spotlights 20 can't-miss games...
01/05/2025
RT Investigates reveals details of Christian Brothers who were senior leaders a...
01/05/2025
RT Statement
The Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project is one of the projects that was funded from the proceeds of RT 's land sale in 2017, the init...
01/05/2025
Watch our promo: RT Supporting the Arts | What's on
This May, RT is delighted to support Bealtaine Festival, Fastnet Film Festival, and Dublin Dance Fest...
01/05/2025
For Nicolas Simon, advancing the field of robotics is a personal mission that could change his siblings' lives.
Two-thirds of Simon's family members us...
30/04/2025
Film elements held at the Deluxe warehouse in March of 2015. Photo by Luis Silva...
30/04/2025
EA SPORTS FC 25 fans in Australia and Saudi Arabia, get ready to immerse yourselves in the beautiful game like never before. Spotify is excited to announce a n...
30/04/2025
The past year has been nothing short of a whirlwind for Tucker Wetmore. After th...
30/04/2025
Mexico's love for podcasts is no longer a trend-it's a lifestyle. With m...
30/04/2025
Slam poet Huda the Goddess wins 2025 Les Murray Award
30 April, 2025
Media releases
Australia for UNHCR and SBS are proud to announce that Huda Fadlelmawla...
30/04/2025
SBS, NITV and NIDA partner to empower the next generation of screen creatives
30 April, 2025
Media releases
SBS, National Indigenous Television (NITV) and ...
30/04/2025
By Joyce JC Cataldo
The media and entertainment industry is evolving faster than ever. Technology is shifting the way we create, distribute, and experience c...
30/04/2025
An image of Valencia, Spain, in the OneAtlas Living Library...
30/04/2025
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. WPSD-TV, the NBC affiliate in Paducah, Ky., has selected Bitcentral's Central Control playout system to upgrade the station's mast...
30/04/2025
AMSTERDAM Zero Density, a global provider of virtual studio productions and on-air graphics, has appointed Baris Zavaroglu as its new CEO. Zavaroglu succeeds Of...
30/04/2025
The Avit Group, a forward-thinking audio-visual technology company, is bringing over 50 years of combined experience in delivering audio-visual design and insta...
30/04/2025
NXTGENbps will be showcasing its latest sustainable battery power solutions at this year's Media Production & Technology Show (MPTS), appearing alongside pa...
30/04/2025
Van Dyke skates and operates on Shoresy | photo by Dave Ferguson
Toronto-based Cinematographer Brett Van Dyke (Heartland, Jann, Carter) stepped into the rink...
30/04/2025
Leading provider of media playout solutions PlayBox Neo will exhibit a vast array of significant upgrades to its range of smart media innovations at CABSAT from...
30/04/2025
ITV Studios is renowned for its award-winning productions, including the reality TV phenomenon I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! Produced by Lifted Ente...
30/04/2025
The UK's presence at this year's CABSAT brings together 20 innovative companies under the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland banner. From advanced infra...
30/04/2025
Lightware continues to strengthen its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives by fostering diversity, inclusion, and community engagement within...
30/04/2025
LiveU is demonstrating for the first time in the UK, its revolutionary technological breakthrough in IP-video transport, LiveU IQ (LIQ ) and bringing its expand...
30/04/2025
Stand: A40
Calrec has been putting sound in the picture for more than six decades and is still pushing the boundaries of audio broadcasting with a full range o...
30/04/2025
Buckinghamshire New University (BNU) has opened its new virtual production studio, designed and integrated by CJP Broadcast. The installation equips students wi...
30/04/2025
Independent news producer in India focuses on delivering stories
nxtedition has supplied a complete newsroom system to Collective Newsroom, based in New Delhi,...
30/04/2025
Connecting the present, building the future
FOR-A, a cutting-edge video broadcast technology company backed by more than 50 years experience, will showcase it...