Challenge
Coronary Artery Disease is still the leading cause of death worldwide, with over 180 m people in Europe and the USA having some form of coronary artery disease.
Opportunity
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.
Solution
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.. 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.
Status
ollowing 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.
Meet the team
Mark Aichroth
CEO, Nilocas
Nicholas Ibery
Partner UK & Venture Partner
Nick joined NLC in July 2022 from a London-based VC fund where he led European Life Sciences investments and was a Member of the Fund’s Investment Committee. Over the past ten years, he has backed several high-profile companies, including taking one from Series A to IPO in the USA. Nick started his career as a surgeon, specialising in neurosurgery. He holds medicine and law degrees, including a master’s degree in Surgical Technology from Imperial College London and an MBA from London Business School. Nick is eager to leverage his experience and knowledge to help NLC build ventures and advance health.