Coronary artery disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and early screening is critical to reducing mortality. However, many patients with heart disease have no symptoms before developing the disease, making early diagnosis extremely difficult. To solve this problem, cardiovascular imaging company Cleerly uses artificial intelligence technology to analyze cardiac CT scans, aiming to enable early screening of coronary artery disease, with the goal of being similar to the way breast and colon cancer are screened.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and many people experience a heart attack without even knowing they have an underlying heart problem. To change that, cardiovascular imaging startup Cleerly is working toward the goal of early screening for coronary artery disease by analyzing CT scans of the heart. This method is similar to breast and colon cancer screening methods such as mammography and colonoscopy.
“Most people who die from heart disease and have heart attacks never experience any symptoms,” said James Min, a cardiologist and founder of Cleerly. He noted that there is a global push for heart disease screening. It must be done. Cleerly's technology grew out of a clinical program he founded at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College in 2003, and the company is currently conducting a large, multicenter clinical trial to demonstrate that its screening method works Accuracy in asymptomatic patients, exceeding traditional blood pressure and cholesterol tests.
Cleerly's efforts are getting attention from investors. Recently, the company announced the completion of a $106 million Series C expansion round of financing, led by Insight Partners and with participation from Battery Ventures. This round of funding follows Cleerly’s $223 million Series C round two years ago and shows market recognition of its growth potential.
While expansion financing is often considered a sign of poor growth, Scott Barclay, managing director at Insight Partners, said Cleerly is growing rapidly. This round of funding will help Cleerly fund future expansion and multi-center clinical trials.
According to Min, Cleerly is excited to attract a large enterprise software investor like Insight Partners to its portfolio, although the company isn't in dire need of more capital. The company's algorithm currently has FDA approval for diagnosing symptomatic patients, and in October, Medicare approved coverage of its plaque analysis test. Plaque buildup is a common cause of heart attacks.
Cleerly claims its AI-powered analysis of CT scans is less physically taxing on patients than traditional chest pain diagnostic methods such as exercise stress testing or coronary angiography. Cleerly is seeing rapid growth as health insurance companies and Medicare endorse its tests. Cleerly has grown at a compound annual growth rate of more than 100% over the past four years, and its technology has been approved to diagnose approximately 15 million patients with heart problems each year.
While Cleerly is not the only player in the market, with other companies such as HeartFlow and Elucid also developing AI-powered cardiac plaque imaging analysis, the market remains open as demand for screening in specific age groups grows. Possibility of diversified development.
Cleerly's technology offers new hope for early screening of coronary artery disease, and its AI-driven CT scan analysis method, combined with FDA and Medicare recognition, and continued financing support, heralds Cleerly's role in changing the status quo of heart disease screening Has huge potential. In the future, Cleerly’s development is worth looking forward to.