Siemens Healthineers partners with Charité for preventive medicine research
Germany’s leading medical technology company Siemens Healthineers has announced a strategic cooperation agreement with Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin to develop innovative preventive medicine concepts, with an initial focus on cardiovascular disease prevention through advanced imaging and artificial intelligence technologies.
Professor Heyo K. Kroemer, Charité Executive Board Chairman and Bernd Montag, Siemens Healthineers Chief Executive sign the strategic cooperation agreement.
The partnership between Siemens Healthineers and one of Europe’s largest university hospitals represents a significant expansion of their existing collaboration into the field of disease prevention. The agreement aims to strengthen research and clinical implementation of patient-centred preventive care whilst raising awareness about preventable diseases and reducing healthcare costs.
Cardiovascular disease prevention takes centre stage
The collaboration will initially explore preventive care potential in cardiovascular diseases, which remain the leading cause of death in Germany despite studies indicating that up to 80 per cent of cases may be preventable. Current routine clinical examinations often only detect advanced pathological changes in the cardiovascular system, highlighting the need for earlier intervention strategies.
Professor Heyo K. Kroemer, Charité Executive Board Chairman, explained: “Prevention is a central component of our Strategy 2030 ‘Rethinking Health’. Charité’s goal is to help identify health risks at an early stage and prevent diseases as far as possible to enable proactive and sustainable care. The existing partnership between Charité and Siemens Healthineers will now be expanded to include the area of prevention – a forward-looking step towards the joint research and development of innovative care concepts.”
Advanced imaging and AI integration
The partnership will focus on developing screening programmes, risk scores, and profiles to identify at-risk patient groups and design precision therapies for rapid clinical implementation. New imaging techniques will generate more detailed and precise images, with advanced image processing and AI-based tools applied automatically to visualise high-risk but still reversible vascular changes.
Bernd Montag, Siemens Healthineers Chief Executive, commented: “We are pleased to further deepen our decades-long partnership with Charité and to expand it into the field of disease prevention. Together, we want to raise awareness of preventive medical care in Germany, improve access to the best possible care and prevent diseases wherever possible.”
Digital twin technology development
The research projects include developing a “digital twin” – a digital replica reflecting relevant data and characteristics of individual patients. This technology will simulate individual health conditions and therapies, test preventive approaches and treatment options, and provide better understanding of disease progression.
Joint research initiatives
Charité and Siemens Healthineers will establish joint research projects aimed at enabling faster, more targeted patient treatment through new diagnostic and treatment protocols utilising AI. The partnership will examine, develop, and validate AI-supported imaging techniques, patient group risk profiles, and personalised care approaches through scientific studies.
The collaboration represents a strategic approach to preventive healthcare that could significantly improve public health outcomes, enhance quality of life, and reduce healthcare costs through targeted prevention strategies and research. The partnership leverages Siemens Healthineers’ medical technology expertise with Charité’s clinical research capabilities to advance preventive medicine implementation in Germany.
