Key Takeaways:
- Chase Markel, a University of Wyoming Ph.D. student, is developing an AI model to predict the risk of congestive heart failure in cattle based on images of a cow’s heart.
- The model has achieved a 92% accuracy rate in assigning the correct score to images it has never encountered before.
- Markel’s research aims to alleviate financial losses associated with congestive heart failure in cattle and improve the overall health and productivity of the cattle industry.
- The AI model has the potential to be used in processing plants and could be developed for use in other areas of the cattle industry, such as feedlots and ranches.
- Markel’s work is an example of the University of Wyoming’s commitment to conducting research that addresses the challenges faced by the state’s agriculture industry.
Introduction to Chase Markel’s Research
Chase Markel, a Ph.D. student at the University of Wyoming, is harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to transform the way animal scientists study risk factors for congestive heart failure in cattle. Markel’s AI model, the first of its kind, has been trained to predict the risk of congestive heart failure based on images of a cow’s heart. As Markel notes, "I’m not a computer scientist, I’m not an AI guy. I’m someone who is studying heart failure [in cattle] and just happened to have the right conversation and made the connection in order to build something that I think can be useful."
Background and Motivation
Markel’s interest in this area of research began during his master’s studies, when he investigated pulmonary hypertension, also known as high-altitude disease or brisket disease, in cattle. He discovered that subclinical cases of pulmonary hypertension, in which an animal is affected by high-altitude disease but survives, may have larger economic impacts than direct profit losses incurred when an animal dies before harvest. Pulmonary hypertension has been linked to congestive heart failure, and Markel’s doctoral research focuses on the size and shape of a cow’s right ventricle as key risk indicators for both conditions.
Development of the AI Model
As a School of Computing fellow, Markel developed an image classification model calibrated with thousands of heart images taken in commercial processing plants in Nebraska and Colorado. He used a 1-5 scoring system developed by Tim Holt, a close collaborator and professor at Colorado State University, to train the model to correctly categorize images by score. To date, Markel’s dataset includes nearly 7,000 images, each of them scored by hand, then used to train the model. The new tool has already achieved a startling degree of accuracy, with the AI model assigning the correct score 92% of the time.
Potential Impact and Future Directions
Markel’s research has the potential to alleviate financial losses associated with congestive heart failure in cattle and improve the overall health and productivity of the cattle industry. As he notes, "Anything we can do to improve traceability and individual animal identification back as far as we can go in the production cycle to try to prevent these things is a net benefit for the industry." Markel is currently developing a similar model to evaluate liver images for the presence and severity of liver abscesses, another common affliction in feedlot cattle. He hopes that future iterations of the model will benefit Wyoming producers more directly.
University of Wyoming’s Commitment to Research
Markel’s work is an example of the University of Wyoming’s commitment to conducting research that addresses the challenges faced by the state’s agriculture industry. As Kelly Crane, Farm Credit Services of America dean in the College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources, comments, "Chase Markel’s research exemplifies our college’s commitment to conducting Wyoming-relevant research, which integrates emerging technologies, producer experiences and UW faculty expertise to address some of Wyoming agriculture’s most vexing challenges." Markel has submitted a provisional patent application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) through UW and hopes to obtain full patent protection in 2026.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Chase Markel’s research on the use of artificial intelligence to predict the risk of congestive heart failure in cattle has the potential to revolutionize the cattle industry. With its high accuracy rate and potential for use in processing plants and other areas of the industry, Markel’s AI model is an exciting development in the field of animal science. As Markel notes, "As researchers, we need to start incorporating these tools into our research and…build that technology so producers and people out in the industry can actually utilize those tools and help improve their bottom line."
UW Student Develops Artificial Intelligence Model to Study Heart Failure in Cattle