TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A team from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University took fifth place in a challenge at the Global Summit of the Global Consortium of Innovation and Engineering in Medicine for developing a new system to detect carotid artery narrowing.
Held at the university and co-organized with the University of Illinois, this year’s challenge attracted 45 teams and 154 college students from around the world. Taiwan entered 13 teams, including eight from NYCU, CNA reported on Sunday.
Yang Chih-chieh (楊智傑), head of the university’s Department of Medicine, said the challenge focuses on integrating medicine with AI technology. He added that this was the second time the university had hosted the event, underscoring its global standing in medical education.
This year’s entries demonstrated greater creativity, clinical application, and commercial potential, Yang said.
The system developed by NYCU requires no additional medical equipment. It uses a camera to capture images and signal processing technology to analyze blood flow changes, allowing it to assess the degree of carotid artery narrowing.
The team said most people with the condition show no symptoms in the early stages. When the carotid artery is about 70% blocked, it can lead to limb paralysis, stroke, or even blindness. Treatment typically includes medication and surgery to remove blood clots or insert stents to keep the vessel open.
The team said the system is designed to help detect the condition before the artery is more than 50% blocked. Early detection allows for effective treatment with medication alone.
Yang highlighted the importance of integrating technology into medical education. He added that the university’s medical department has incorporated digital training into its curriculum, including AI applications, surgical simulation tools, and robot-assisted surgery training.
The university’s teams were Taiwan’s top performers at this year’s event, Yang added. He said the university would continue to support students’ participation in international competitions to showcase its efforts to combine technology with medical development.
The University of Illinois College of Medicine took first, second, and fourth place in this year’s challenge, while Nanyang Technological University in Singapore came in third.
