Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

March 01, 2021

01/03/2021

Bringing deep learning' to the clinic: scientists overcome key barrier to widespread adoption By providing a new level of clarity into how deep learning systems reach their medical diagnoses, scientists hope this AI approach will fuel a new era of preventative medicine.

March 01, 2021

LA JOLLA, CA A team led by scientists at Scripps Research has demonstrated a method for opening the black box of a powerful artificial intelligence technique called deep learning, which holds vast potential for identifying disease earlier than is currently possible. The new method could help unleash deep learning for medical applications such as predicting heart attacks and diagnosing cancers.

The framework we've created enables an in-depth exploration of the deep learning decision-making process, making it more transparent and useful for clinicians, says the studys senior author Giorgio Quer, PhD, senior staff scientist at Scripps Research and director of artificial intelligence at the Scripps Research Translational Institute.

Deep learning networks are software-based, brain-like systems neural networks that can process a large amount of data to recognize patterns, make predictions or otherwise make brain-like decisions. They are considered black boxes because the ways in which they turn their inputs into outputs are often unknown they don't reveal interpretable relationships. That makes deep learning hard to use in real-world settings where, for example, a doctor might need to know why a deep learning system reached an important conclusion such as a disease diagnosis.

In the study, published in the IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, the Scripps Research scientists developed a framework for explaining how deep learning works, and demonstrated this through a deep learning system's identification of a common heart condition called atrial fibrillation.

A case study in heart disease

Atrial fibrillation, often called AFib, is a condition in which the heart sometimes slips into a rapid and dysfunctional rhythm, causing lightheadedness and other symptoms. Four out of every 10 adults over age 55 will develop AFib in their lifetime. Most critically, AFib promotes the formation of blood clots in the heart, which can break off and cause strokes; people with this condition have five times the normal risk of stroke.

Yet, for many patients AFib flares up only occasionally, making it hard to detect in routine medical checkups that gather only a brief snapshot of a patient's heartbeat. Quer and colleagues in recent years have shown how wearable medical devices can gather heart-rhythm data for extended periods, and that deep learning can then process the vast datasets to detect AFib (read the 2019 study).

This proposed method would offer improved diagnostic accuracy over traditional models and could save lives by spotting disease earlier. But the opacity of deep learning has remained a hurdle to clinical adoption of this approach.

Evoking transparency

In the new study, Quer and colleagues created a way to analyze how deep learning makes its decisions in a medical diagnostic context. Then, they applied this framework to the deep learning system they developed for AFib. Their method included subtracting or otherwise varying the input data to see how those changes altered the deep learning network's decision. The result was a comprehensive picture of how deep learning works in this instance, showing how its recognition of AFib depends on key clinical variables.

Interestingly, we found that the ECG features that most heavily contributed to the final deep learning decision are features that cardiologists also routinely look for in diagnosing AFib, says study co-author Steven Steinhubl, MD, a cardiologist and director of Digital Medicine at the Scripps Research Translational Institute.

Quer, Steinhubl and their colleagues hope that the availability of this explanatory framework will encourage cardiologists and hospitals to start using deep learning and wearable technology for better AFib screening and monitoring.

The approach could eventually be applied to other medical conditions that can be identified through data collected with wearable devices. Currently, the Scripps Research team is working on a machine learning method to detect COVID-19 from wearable sensor data, aiming to improve upon the accuracy they reported in their recent paper in Nature Medicine. Here, it will be necessary to explain the machine learning results and highlight the most important features used to identify people with COVID-19 infection.

With this new explanatory approach, we hope to better understand the deep learning network and make it more useful to clinicians, Quer says.

The study was a collaboration between Scripps Research and the University of California, San Diego. A Comprehensive Explanation Framework for Biomedical Time Series Classification was co-authored by Praharsh Ivaturi, Matteo Gadaleta, Amitabh Pandey, Michael Pazzani, Steven Steinhubl and Giorgio Quer.

Funding was provided by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the National Science Foundation and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.

Heart Disease Quer, Giorgio
LINK: https://www.scripps.edu/news-and-events/press-room/2021/20210301-topol...
See more stories from scripps

North America Stories

11/04/2026

How to Stream Coachella 2026 at Home

How to Stream Coachella 2026 at Home Check this years stacked schedule for the annual music festivals full lineup, including when Berklee artists from Laufey ...

11/04/2026

Time Travel

Time Travel As Berklee on the Road programs in Puerto Rico and Italy mark decades-long anniversaries, we journey into the past and step into the future. Apri...

11/04/2026

April 10, 2026

Improving vaccine design for Ebola, HIV and more Scripps Research scientists and colleagues develop a nanodisc platform that offers a clearer view of how key vi...

10/04/2026

The Invisible OPEX Killer: Is Your Server Room Dragging You Down?

The Invisible OPEX Killer: Is Your Server Room Dragging You Down? In the broadcast world, we talk a lot about uptime. We talk about talent retention, latency...

10/04/2026

NAB 2026: Imagine Communications to Showcase Expanded Multiviewer Portfolio

Imagine Communications will showcase its multiviewer portfolio at NAB Show 2026 (April 19-22, Booth N1328, Las Vegas Convention Center), including Prismon and t...

10/04/2026

NAB 2026: Chyron Releases PRIME VSAR 2.3 with Updated Unreal Engine Integration

Chyron has released PRIME VSAR 2.3, an update to its virtual set and augmented reality solution for broadcast. The release adds compatibility with Unreal Engine...

10/04/2026

NAB 2026: Techex to Showcase New tx darwin Capabilities

Techex will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2267, April 19-23, Las Vegas Convention Center), demonstrating new tx darwin features including consumer multiview,...

10/04/2026

NAB 2026: NDI to Showcase Ecosystem and NDI 6.3

NDI will exhibit at NAB Show 2026, demonstrating its IP video ecosystem through live partner integrations, NDI 6.3 features, AI metadata workflows, and creator ...

10/04/2026

FOR-A Acquires Tamura Corporations Information Equipment Business

FOR-A has announced the acquisition of all shares of Tamu Radiance Corporation, a new company spun off from the Information Equipment Business of Tamura Corpora...

10/04/2026

NAB 2026: InSync Technology to Unveil New Video Processing and Frame Rate Conversion Products

InSync Technology will showcase new and updated video conversion products at NAB...

10/04/2026

TNT Sports and DAZN Announce Monthly Boxing Event Series in the United States

TNT Sports and DAZN have announced a partnership to air monthly boxing events in the United States under the brand The Fight. The series will be promoted in p...

10/04/2026

Panasonic Introduces SQ3 Series 4K LCD Displays for Professional Environments

Panasonic Projector and Display has announced the SQ3 Series of 4K LCD displays as part of its MEVIX professional display portfolio. All sizes will be available...

10/04/2026

Amagi Adds Agentic Capabilities to Its Media Operations Platform

Amagi has announced the addition of Agentic Media Operations to its Amagi NOW platform, integrating AI reasoning agents across its media supply chain workflows ...

10/04/2026

LTN Announces Network Enhancements Ahead of C-Band Spectrum Auction

LTN has announced enhancements to its global IP video network targeting broadcasters transitioning from satellite distribution. The updates come ahead of US fed...

10/04/2026

Daktronics Installs New LED Displays at Yankee Stadium

Daktronics has installed new LED displays at Yankee Stadium, upgrading the main centerfield board, two flanking boards, and two ribbon displays spanning the 200...

10/04/2026

NAB 2026: Harmonic Announces AI and Cloud Updates to Hybrid Streaming Solution

Harmonic has announced updates to its hybrid streaming solution, including Model Context Protocol (MCP) connectivity for AI applications, cloud-native deploymen...

10/04/2026

NAB 2026: MultiDyne to Debut FiberSaver-10G and VF-9100

MultiDyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems will introduce two new fiber transport products at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C4425, April 19-22): the FiberSaver-10G waveleng...

10/04/2026

NAB 2026: Telos Alliance and ip-studio to Demonstrate STUDIO ZERO

Telos Alliance and ip-studio will demonstrate STUDIO ZERO, a cloud-hosted virtual studio, at NAB Show 2026. First introduced at NAB Show 2023, STUDIO ZERO integ...

10/04/2026

Pixotope and d&b Solutions Announce Strategic Partnership for XR and Virtual Studio Production

d&b solutions, a London-based audio-visual, lighting, and media integration grou...

10/04/2026

ARRI and SmallHD Announce Lens Data Monitor Overlay License for Hi-5 and Hi-5 SX

ARRI and SmallHD have announced a new expansion license for ARRI's Hi-5 and Hi-5 SX hand units that displays lens data overlays on supported SmallHD monitor...

10/04/2026

Roku to Stream Exclusive Savannah Bananas Game Package on Roku Sports Channel

Roku and the Banana Ball Championship League (BBCL) have announced an exclusive streaming partnership to bring five BBCL games to the Roku Sports Channel in 202...

10/04/2026

Ratings Roundup: More Than 18 Million Fans Tune Into 2026 NCAA Mens March Madness on TNT and CBS Sports

Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...

10/04/2026

No Other Land, Mr. Nobody Against Putin,and More Sundance Institute-Supported Films Nominated for Peabody Awards

The Peabody Awards don't just recognize great storytelling, they spotlight t...

10/04/2026

2026 NAB Show Exhibitor Insight: Bitcentral

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

10/04/2026

Bitcentral To Feature Connected Media Workflows At 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

10/04/2026

Bitcentral to Showcase Connected Media Workflows and Inte...

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., April 10, 2026 Bitcentral, a leading provider of professional media solutions for broadcast and digital video, will showcase its latest...

10/04/2026

Ikegami to Introduce Expanded Range of Broadcast Production Solutions at NAB 2026

Ikegami to Introduce Expanded Range of Broadcast Production Solutions at NAB 202...

10/04/2026

AJA Debuts SMPTE ST 2110 and openGear Solutions Ahead of NAB 2026

AJA Debuts SMPTE ST 2110 and openGear Solutions Ahead of NAB 2026 Brie Clayton April 10, 2026 0 Comments New gear and updates address evolving hybrid ...

10/04/2026

Portland Fire+ Streaming Platform Launches

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

10/04/2026

Tod Musgrave Joins Proton as U.S. Sales & Marketing Director

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

10/04/2026

Proton Expands Minicam Portfolio With Proton Pro At 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

10/04/2026

FCC To Vote on Changes to Audible Crawl Rule

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

10/04/2026

Frequency Launches AI Platform for Streaming Television a...

Frequency, the engine behind the worlds leading streaming television channels, today launched its AI platform for Frequency Studio, powering the entire channel ...

10/04/2026

Jnger Audio Joins EBU ADM Integration Group as Founding Member to Help Advance ADM/S-ADM Integration

J nger Audio Joins EBU ADM Integration Group as Founding Member to Help Advance...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Zixi to Demonstrate Live Video Workflows and Satellite Replacement

Zixi will demonstrate IP-based live video workflow solutions at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2057). The industry is moving quickly toward IP-based distribution as br...

09/04/2026

Deloitte Research: Women's Elite Sports Revenues Expected to Reach at Least $3 Billion in 2026

Global women's elite sports revenues are expected to reach at least $3 billi...

09/04/2026

Monitor Engineer Gavin Tempany Mixes Kylie Minogue's Tension Tour on Solid State Logic L550 Plus

Monitor engineer Gavin Tempany mixed Kylie Minogue s Tension Tour on a Solid Sta...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America to Debut New 4K Camera and Remote Control Panel

KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C5507), debu...

09/04/2026

NBC Sports Reviews Innovations and Milestones from Its 2025-26 NBA Regular Season

With the 2025-26 NBA regular season concluded and the playoffs beginning next we...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Telestream and Mimir Announce Integration for Ingest-to-Editorial Workflows

Telestream and Mimir have announced an integration connecting Telestream's V...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Bitmovin Expands Live Encoding and Observability Solutions for End-to-End Live Streaming Monitoring

Bitmovin has expanded its Live Encoding and Observability solutions to provide r...

09/04/2026

Nashville Predators and Scripps Sports Announce Multi-Year Broadcast Agreement

The Nashville Predators and Scripps Sports have announced a multi-year media rights agreement covering local preseason, regular season, and first-round playoff ...

09/04/2026

ASG Partners with Beam Dynamics for Asset Intelligence Platform

Advanced Systems Group, LLC has announced a partnership with Beam Dynamics to offer the Beam Asset and License Intelligence Platform to its clients. The platfor...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Lawo Introduces Edge One Converged Video and Audio Stagebox

Lawo has unveiled Edge One, a combined video and audio stagebox for broadcast and Pro AV workflows. The device will be on display at NAB Show (Booth C2108, Apri...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: SMPTE to Host ST 2110 IP Media Roadshow

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) will host the SMPTE ST 2110 IP Media Roadshow on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at the Las Vegas Conven...

09/04/2026

Atlanta Braves Upgrade Video Displays at Truist Park

The Atlanta Braves have completed upgrades to video displays in and around Truist Park ahead of the 2026 MLB season. The upgrades include the Delta Out-of-Town ...

09/04/2026

USC Installs Daktronics LED Displays Across Four Athletics Venues

The University of Southern California has contracted Daktronics (NASDAQ: DAKT) of Brookings, South Dakota, to manufacture and install 22 LED displays across fou...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Backlight to Showcase Iconik and Wildmoka Integration

Backlight, the media technology company behind Iconik and Wildmoka, will showcase its Creative Operations Platform at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N2829, April 19-22). ...

09/04/2026

MotoAmerica Superbike to Air on VICE TV for 2026 Season

MotoAmerica and V10 Entertainment have announced a partnership to broadcast MotoAmerica Superbike racing on VICE TV for the 2026 season. Coverage begins live on...

09/04/2026

Proton Camera Innovations Appoints Tod Musgrave as US Sales and Marketing Director

Proton Camera Innovations has announced the appointment of Tod Musgrave as US Sa...