The Martin-Hopkins equation to assess low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in blood samples has been used by laboratories in the U.S. and other countries to guide efforts to lower cardiovascular disease risk. Now, a simplified machine-learning version of this equation has been shown in a study of millions of U.S. adult and child blood samples to match the accuracy of the original—making it broadly accessible. The findings and code were published in JAMA Cardiology.

“We’ve optimized the calculation of LDL cholesterol and made this equation accessible and easier for all labs to implement,” says Seth Martin, M.D., M.H.S., the senior study author and director of the Advanced Lipid Disorders Program and Digital Health Lab at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease.

“Our goal is to enable clinicians and patients to make better decisions about starting treatments that prevent heart attacks and strokes and save lives.”