A study on early HIV detection, awarded for its innovation

A project on the early detection of HIV, awarded for its innovation

The second edition of the Visionarium Innovation by Gilead awards took place on January 22nd. At this event, the ALERTA-VIH project, led by URJC professor Soto Montalvo Herranz, in collaboration with other researchers, won in the diagnostics category for its cutting-edge approach to the early detection of HIV using artificial intelligence.

Ginés Miñano

The team is made up of Soto Montalvo, professor of the Department of Computer Science and Statistics of the ETSII of the Rey Juan Carlos University, in collaboration with Dr. María Velasco, of the Alcorcón University Hospital Foundation, as well as Rodrigo Morales and Raquel Martínez, predoctoral contracted and professor of the Department of Languages and Computer Systems of the ETSII of the UNED.

An innovative project in HIV diagnosis

The research uses Natural Language Processing techniques and language models to analyze clinical notes and identify risk patterns that will improve early HIV diagnosis. The award will facilitate the study of its implementation in a hospital setting, with the aim of analyzing clinical notes in real time and triggering serology alerts when indicated.

Towards its implementation in hospitals

According to Soto Montalvo, this recognition represents “a key opportunity to advance the transfer of research to clinical practice. The team's goal is to obtain funding that will allow them to implement the development at the hospital and, if it proves effective, extend it to other healthcare centers.”

This project is the evolution of a previous line of research for which Soto Montalvo was already recognized last year, and represents “a decisive step towards its real-world application for the benefit of patients.” Currently, the process remains open, and the team has begun working with the pharmaceutical company and the organization behind the awards, which offer not only funding but also mentorship and specialized follow-up.

Innovation with social and health impact

Soto Montalvo sees the possibility of collaborating closely with hospitals and bringing technological innovation to healthcare as increasingly likely, reinforcing the project's impact, whose main value lies in its ability to improve the care and quality of life of people living with HIV. He affirms that "beyond the awards, being able to help people with HIV is the greatest possible satisfaction, and it is the true purpose of all our work."

This awards ceremony was organized in partnership with the EIT Health Foundation, under the theme 'The future of HIV starts today'. Within this framework, Gilead and EIT Health have established the first HIV acceleration hub in Spain, with the aim of promoting innovative solutions in prevention, diagnosis, and long-term health.

The award given to Soto Montalvo and his team demonstrates once again the excellence of the researchers who are members of the URJC university community and their groundbreaking and innovative approach to studying a social issue as prevalent today as the treatment, detection and management of HIV.

Professor Soto Montalvo