Introducing our venture Nilocas: A cardiac device for the detection of coronary artery disease

Press Release

Amsterdam, 09/10/2023

Nilocas Ltd. provides a medical device that is set to revolutionise the detection of Coronary Artery Disease in a variety of care settings using a non-invasive detection system.

Coronary Artery Disease is still the leading cause of death worldwide, with over 180 million people in Europe and the USA having some form of coronary artery disease.

Nilocas Ltd will revolutionise detection of patients for coronary artery disease by being able to detect it non-invasively and without radiation in clinical and non-clinical settings. Currently, a hospital setting is where coronary artery disease is diagnosed using invasive and radiation methods; this can require an admission to hospital and is a costly procedure.

As part of their cardiac diagnostic process, patients can wear a lightweight chest patch. This innovative device captures the sounds of turbulent blood flow as it navigates through narrowed coronary arteries (stenosis) due to disease. Using microphones and accelerometers, it evaluates this turbulence, swiftly analyzing results through advanced machine learning and AI. The test is completed in just 10 minutes, delivering a clear diagnosis of coronary heart disease.

Steve Greenwald, Professor of Cardiovascular Mechanics at the Blizard Institute in the Faculty of Medicine at Queen Mary University of London, the inventor of the Nilocas device commented:

“Nilocas can be used in a variety of healthcare settings, it is easy to use and requires very little training to operate. The device can detect coronary heart disease before advanced symptoms or heart attack present. The Nilocas device will accelerate the diagnostic pathway and reduce unnecessary referral for angiography.”

Nilocas is a collaboration between Queen Mary University of London who have led and invented the device, Imperial College who have developed the hardware, Brunel University who have developed the AI and Machine learning software, the first human viability trial will take place at St. Bartholomew’s NHS Trust at the Barts Heart Centre.

Application in Cardiac Disease Diagnosis

Nilocas can be used as part of the diagnostic pathway in cardiac disease. Currently at St. Bartholomew’s hospital and various other centres, 66% of patients presenting with stable chest pain and referred for diagnostic angiography are found not to have coronary heart disease. Nilocas will reduce those referred for angiography saving cost and impact on stretched NHS diagnostic facilities. Furthermore, with Nilocas being used earlier in the cardiac diagnostic pathway it will be possible to identify patients who have coronary heart disease and place them on a more appropriate pathway to treat their disease. This early detection can save lives and ensure that the right patients are in the correct care setting.

Mark Aichroth, the CEO of Nilocas Ltd, brings 30 years’ experience in building, launching and scaling up healthcare companies in the EU and the US:

“Nilocas’s innovation will not only save lives but also optimise patient pathways and reduce the burden on hospitals for patients with coronary heart disease. The device also has application within health screening by identifying symptomatic patients who do not have coronary artery stenosis and reducing the burden on hospitals.”

Following significant funding from NLC and Queen Mary University London, the next stage for Nilocas involves the first human viability trial for the device at Barts Heart Centre. Further human trials are then planned in Europe and the USA supported by seed investment and non-dilutive grant funding. Nilocas are developing an ecosystem with academic and clinical network partners, public and private hospital organisations, industry associations, national innovation accelerators and patient advocacy groups.

For more information

Nilocas Ltd : Website

Mark Aichroth, CEO | mark.aichroth@nilocas.com

Yeovil BA22 8HH, Urgashay Farm

United Kingdom