Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to transform healthcare in the coming years by being able to detect the risk of suffering a heart attack up to ten years before the onset of symptoms. This breakthrough will be showcased by leading health technology companies at the upcoming Longevity World Forum (LWF), where experts will also discuss major advances in preventive medicine for other serious diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders.
Through an AI-powered scan and an outpatient procedure lasting less than an hour, it is now possible to detect early signs of a potential future heart attack by accurately identifying the presence, amount, and type of plaque in the coronary arteries. This enables early intervention and preventive measures, reducing the likelihood of life-threatening events. The test can even identify the presence of soft plaque—a less dense and more vulnerable type of arterial deposit, more likely to rupture and cause blockages—which often goes unnoticed in other imaging tests.
Recent studies, such as one published in Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, highlight how AI-driven multimodal diagnostics are already capable of detecting cardiovascular diseases, cancers, or neurodegenerative disorders before symptoms appear. These systems integrate multiple data modalities (medical imaging, laboratory results, and Electronic Health Records) to estimate biological age, the pace of aging, and the risk of adverse events—allowing clinicians to prioritize preventive interventions before clinical disease develops.
In conditions such as lung cancer, research conducted by scientists at Seoul National University demonstrated the usefulness of AI detection. The goal was to identify malignant nodules without increasing false positives. In a group of 10,476 participants, AI improved detection by 0.59% (31/5238) compared to 0.25% (13/5238).
One of the pioneering companies in these new technologies, participating in the LWF, is the U.S.-based Fountain Life. Its president, William Kapp, explains that the company promotes a shift from a reactive to a proactive healthcare model. They train algorithms with data and imaging to recognize early disease patterns and are building a longitudinal database of asymptomatic individuals to train AI and discover biomarkers of early disease stages.
“In medical school, we aren’t taught to keep people healthy—we’re taught to treat symptoms. But most diseases don’t become symptomatic until their advanced stages,” says Kapp.
“Detecting asymptomatic diseases is challenging because of the body’s remarkable ability to mask symptoms. However, AI technologies are enabling physicians to diagnose conditions earlier than ever before,” he concludes.
The Longevity World Forum will hold its 4th edition in Madrid from February 18 to 20, 2026. This global congress, offered in hybrid format (in-person and online), will bring together leading scientists, experts, and technologists for three days to discuss longevity and healthy aging.
More information: www.longevityworldforum.com
www.longevityworldforum.com/startup-day/
[i]Simon BD, Ozyoruk KB, Gelikman DG, Harmon SA, Türkbey B. The future of multimodal artificial intelligence models for integrating imaging and clinical metadata: a narrative review. DiagnIntervRadiol. 2025 Jul 8;31(4):303-312. doi: 10.4274/dir.2024.242631. Epub 2024 Oct 1.
[ii]https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/radiol.221894
iii https://healthcare-digital.com/technology-and-ai/fountain-life-is-revolutionising-healthcare-with-ai
