Project Guidelines for the 2025 Special Project of \"AI Empowered Acute Myocardial Infarction Early Warning Research\"

  Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has the characteristics of insidious onset and sudden critical illness, seriously threatening human life and health. The onset of acute myocardial infarction is influenced by various internal and external factors such as genetics, environment, lifestyle, and related diseases. Due to its weak clinical specificity or lack of premonitory symptoms, it is often overlooked and the opportunity for early diagnosis and treatment is easily missed. The occurrence of acute myocardial infarction is a complex multiscale process, and specific biomarkers for its pre onset state are scarce and difficult to quantify. The evolution pattern is still unclear, which seriously restricts its early warning and intervention. This project aims to focus on the "pre disease" stage before the onset of acute myocardial infarction, using interdisciplinary research methods to establish a digital representation and multidimensional dynamic network of the pre onset state of acute myocardial infarction, analyze and verify the critical transition mechanism of acute myocardial infarction, construct a cross system artificial intelligence prediction and early warning system, and explore a new paradigm for acute myocardial infarction early warning research.

  1、 Scientific objectives

  Focusing on the pre onset state of acute myocardial infarction, screening detectable and quantifiable macro and micro indicators, digitally characterizing the common patterns and individual characteristics before the onset of acute myocardial infarction, constructing a network model of critical transition state, developing a large model for predicting and warning of acute myocardial infarction, revealing the key factors and biological mechanisms of disease occurrence and development, promoting early warning and effective prevention of acute myocardial infarction, and providing theoretical basis for understanding the disease occurrence mechanism and developing new diagnosis and treatment technologies.

  2、 Proposed research direction for funding

  (1) Multidimensional quantitative characterization before the onset of acute myocardial infarction.

  Based on existing cohorts such as the "high-risk cardiovascular population", this study focuses on the critical time window for the transition of acute myocardial infarction from "no disease" to "onset". It comprehensively utilizes multi parameter sensing (such as wearable devices), multimodal imaging, and multi omics detection technologies to dynamically collect and analyze physiological and pathological data, digitally characterize the pre onset state of acute myocardial infarction, establish a mapping relationship between macro and micro indicator changes, and develop a quantitative evaluation system for the pre onset state of acute myocardial infarction.

  (2) Multi dimensional dynamic network construction before the onset of acute myocardial infarction.

  Based on prospective queues and multimodal data, new digital biomarkers such as physicochemical indicators and imaging features are screened to analyze the dynamic changes of potential risk factors. Guided by the theory of complex systems science and using methods such as network modeling and causal inference, a multidimensional dynamic network of the pre onset state of acute myocardial infarction is constructed, and critical state characteristics are characterized. The molecular and systemic changes and mechanisms of pre onset characteristics of acute myocardial infarction are elucidated.

  (3) A large-scale artificial intelligence model for predicting and warning acute myocardial infarction.

  By comprehensively utilizing multi-scale information across systems and modalities, based on artificial intelligence big model technology, combined with isomorphic or heterogeneous transfer learning strategies, integrating large-scale multi-source heterogeneous real-world data, simulating the complex state before the onset of myocardial infarction, constructing and verifying a large-scale risk prediction and critical state warning model for medium and long-term onset.

  3、 Funding period and funding intensity

  The total direct cost of this special project is 15 million yuan. We plan to sponsor around 6 pairs of joint application projects, with a total funding of approximately 2-3 million yuan per pair. The funding period is 3 years, and the research period in the application should be filled in as "January 1, 2026- December 31, 2028".

  4、 Application requirements and precautions

  (1) Apply for eligibility.

  1. Have experience in undertaking basic research projects.

  2. Possess senior professional and technical positions (professional titles).

  Postdoctoral researchers, those pursuing graduate degrees, and those who do not have a work unit or are not affiliated with a supporting unit are not eligible to apply as applicants.

  (2) Joint application requirements.

  Each project must be jointly applied for by two applicants (with the same or different supporting units), who should belong to different fields or directions. One applicant should not be the main participant in the other's project application. Both parties of the joint application need to write separate application forms around the same research objective [see (4) Application Notes for specific requirements].

  (3) Restrictions on application regulations.

  1. This special project is not included in the scope of the total number of applications and responsibilities undertaken by senior professional and technical personnel (titles) from the beginning of the application until the Natural Science Foundation of China makes a decision on funding or not; After receiving funding, it will be included in the total number of applications and responsibilities for senior professional and technical positions (professional titles).

  2. Applicants and major participants can only apply for or participate in applying for one project under this special program.

  3. The applicant can only apply for or undertake research projects within one special project in the same year.

  (4) Application precautions.

  The project application acceptance time is from February 17th to March 17th, 2025 at 16:00.

  2. The application for this special project will be written online. The specific requirements for the applicant are as follows:

  (1) Applicants should carefully read the relevant content of this "Special Project Guidelines" and the "2025 National Natural Science Foundation Project Guidelines" before filling out the application form. Applications that do not meet the project guidelines and relevant requirements will not be accepted.

  (2) The project leader selects "Online Application" - "New Project Application" - "Apply for General Science Department Projects" - "Special Projects" in the Science Foundation Network Information System to apply for the project.

  (3) Select "Special Projects" as the funding category in the application, "Research Projects" as the subcategory description, "Comprehensive Research Projects of the Ministry of Science" as the footnote description, "T03" as the acceptance code, and select 2-5 application codes based on the research content (see other Ministry of Science application codes for details). Applications for projects with inaccurate or unselected selections will not be accepted.

  (4) Each joint applicant for a project must submit their application independently, but they must fill in the same project name and indicate "(Joint Application A)" or "(Joint Application B)" after the project name.

  (5) The main body of the application should first explain the common research topic, project background, common research objectives, research ideas and framework of the two projects jointly applied for, the necessity and feasibility of collaborative research, and the division of labor for cooperation; Subsequently, each party should fill in their respective research content, experimental design, and other relevant parts according to the requirements for writing the application. The application should reflect a strong alliance and carry out complementary substantive research work. The National Natural Science Foundation of China will organize experts to conduct an overall review of the joint application.

  (6) The joint application agreement must be provided in the attachment materials of the application form. Both parties of the joint application must jointly sign and have their respective supporting units stamp it. A letter with only one party's signature cannot be used as a substitute.

  (7) The total number of supporting units and cooperative research units for each project in this special project shall not exceed 2. Paired applications include joint application project A and joint application project B. Joint application project A (the total number of supporting units and cooperative research units shall not exceed 2); Joint application for Project B (the total number of supporting units and cooperative research units shall not exceed 2). The main participants must be actual contributors to the project.

  (8) The application should highlight limited objectives and key breakthroughs, and clarify the contribution to achieving the overall goals of the special project and solving core scientific problems.

  If the applicant has already undertaken other technology projects related to this special project, the differences and connections between the application project and other related projects should be discussed in the "Research Basis and Working Conditions" section of the application.

  (9) The management of special project funds adopts a budget system. Applicants should carefully read the content of the budget preparation requirements in the "2025 National Natural Science Foundation Project Guidelines" application regulations, and according to the specific requirements of the "Management Measures for National Natural Science Foundation Funded Project Funds" (Caijiao [2021] No. 177) and the "Explanation for the Preparation of Budget Tables for National Natural Science Foundation Project Applications", carefully and truthfully prepare the project budget. The supporting unit should conduct a thorough review in accordance with relevant regulations.

  3. This special project implements paperless application. After the applicant completes the application writing, submit the electronic application form and attachment materials online. The supporting unit only needs to confirm the electronic application form and attachment materials online, without submitting a paper application form. However, the authenticity and completeness of the application materials submitted by the applicant of this unit should be carefully reviewed. Before the deadline for project acceptance work (16:00 on March 17, 2025), the electronic application form and attachment materials of this unit should be confirmed and submitted item by item through the information system. After the project is approved, the supporting unit will bind the paper signature and seal pages of the application form at the end of the "Funding Project Plan" and submit them together as required within the specified time.

  4. Consultation method for this special project:

  Three Interdisciplinary Science Departments of the National Natural Science Foundation of China,

  Contact phone number: 010-62327096.

  (5) Other precautions.

  To achieve the overall scientific objectives of this special project, the project leader who has received funding shall commit to complying with relevant regulations on data and information management and sharing.

  To strengthen academic exchanges and promote interdisciplinary collaboration, this special project will organize academic seminars from time to time. The project leaders and key participants who receive funding must participate in this academic exchange activity.