Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an increasingly common arrhythmia in the aging European population. Its prevalence will more than double by the year 2050 affecting 5% of EU women and men aged ≥65 years. AF carries a high risk of stroke, heart failure, and dementia, which result in a significant loss of quality-adjusted life years and high mortality. The EU guiding principles for active aging (no. 17468/12) recommend disease prevention to maximise healthy life, and early detection of AF is recommended by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Nonetheless, to date, a risked-based screening strategy is lacking. AFFECT-EU’s major goal is the development of a risk-based, accurate, and ready for implementation AF screening algorithm, using digital devices, for early AF detection in the community. For this objective we will (1) Develop a risk-based AF screening algorithm, by combining the available information from the largest outcome trials (Danish LOOP, STROKESTOP, SAFER) and multiple screening studies across Europe (Ntotal>100,000) including health modifiers and biomarkers; (2) Refine the stratification of high-risk populations in a personalised approach through exploration of distinct digital screening methods and multiple health determinants in deeply-phenotyped population cohorts; (3) Validate the AFFECT-EU risked-based screening recommendations in a meta-analysis of European and world-wide studies; (4) Demonstrate cost benefits and acceptability of AF screening across different European healthcare systems; (5) Identify the AF screening potential to be taken up by differing healthcare systems; (6) Foster the dissemination of results and adoption of the risked-based AF screening algorithm in the ESC (an AFFECT-EU partner) guidelines. AFFECT-EU will develop the first targeted, risk-based AF screening algorithm, and thus contribute to the reduction of AF-related health inequities, morbidity and mortality in Europe.

Decades of research into Parkinson's disease (PD) have fallen short in fully comprehending its mechanisms, leaving us without a cure. Current treatments merely alleviate symptoms temporarily, but are unable to impede the progression of the disease. Clearly, PD research has hit a wall, and new approaches are needed. Recent discoveries of the involvement of the peripheral immune system in PD have sparked a groundbreaking proposition by BICEPS: PD must be considered a systemic disease with an immune response involving both brain and periphery. Thus, to revolutionize PD research, we must shift away from the neuro-centric approach of past decades and extend our focus to studying the immune system outside the brain. Furthermore, recent advancements, such as systems biology and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven data mining, diagnosis, and drug development, hold significant promise for advancing PD research. Therefore, BICEPS is uniting PD researchers, immunologists, and experts in AI and systems biology from leading European academic institutions, startup companies, and established pharmaceutical firms into a unique consortium. The primary objective is to train a new generation of PD researchers with interdisciplinary expertise in these fields. This ambitious goal will be realized through an intensive training program that encompasses cutting-edge methodologies, encourages innovation, nurtures transferable skills, and provides immersive, hands-on research experiences. Thereby, the BICEPS network aims to shape the future of PD research by adopting a fresh perspective and expediting the development of diagnostics and therapies for PD, with a particular focus on the immune system.