This story is not about heartbreak in the metaphorical sense. Or about the heaviness that we feel around our actual hearts when our sentimental radar is on overdrive. It isn’t about the flutters we feel when we are in love. Nor about the pounding in our chest when we’re out of breath.
This story is about those whose heart causes them physical pain. About those who suffer from physical diseases in their hearts. What they have to do to cope. What they’re lacking. And what kind of solution is on the horizon that could dramatically improve their quality of life.
When you scour the internet for stories of cardiovascular patients, namely patients who suffer from heart diseases and illnesses, one common denominator emerges: early detection helps with prevention and most importantly, avoids misdiagnosis. There’s Denise, for example, who was told by her general care physician that her swollen ankles were a result of being overweight and stressed. She suffered from a stroke at work a few months later. Or 28-year-old Heather, who was chatting with a few of her teacher colleagues at school, when she went into cardiac arrest and would have easily been part of the 90% of people who die from it, had it not been for a person who knew CPR and the presence of an automated external defibrillator on site.
Early detection has become key to prevent such cases, which is why genetic screening for disease risk has become an emerging pillar of innovation in the medical field. It is the process of testing people for a genetic disease to identify those that either have a disease or the potential to pass one on to their offspring. Such tests are rolling out progressively in different countries, testing healthy individuals over the age of 40 in a quest to help them, their physicians and healthcare systems understand the likelihood of cardiovascular disease over the coming decades.
Once a person is identified to have an elevated risk of such a disease, it is recommended to have some form of monitoring in place. This completely changes lives, as it extends protection and quality-of-life to a younger and healthier population.
The caveat with genetic screening is that it needs to be a real-time, cost-effective, clinically useful and safe method of conveying the patient information. And that can be quite tricky.
But David Hampton, who has dedicated his life to building devices that make medical treatment more efficient, rose to the challenge – and delivered. He had previously worked on a proprietary biofilm-resistant polymer that reduces hospital-acquired infections and anaesthesia monitoring devices. Hence, he knows a thing or two about spotting a gap, understanding the pain and finding solutions for patients suffering from a multitude of illnesses and diseases.
And in 2020, David decided to tackle the problems of the heart. “Cardiovascular disease spans a lot of different entities, it tends to lead to progressive heart damage, and also to drive people towards expensive hospitalizations,” he explained. That is why, along with his Egyptian venture fund partner Mohamed Abou-Alam, he launched Precision Cardiovascular. The company is on a trajectory to develop and commercialize a micro-sensor that can be implanted in humans to enable early detection of cardiovascular complications.
Why is this important, you ask? The implant measures pressures in and around the holder’s heart. The data can be used by care providers to visualize what is going on with the patient, the evolution of their illness and the effectiveness of therapy, while automating clinical workflow for consistent care. The no-battery device collects early warning signs which are wirelessly transmitted to clinics where intelligent algorithms help triage patients and improve therapy. The resulting data trends, then allow care providers to refine drug dosing, expand therapeutic insights and conduct preventative measures.
The company’s board of directors is chaired by Martin Bloom and further comprises pioneering heart transplant surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub, Imperial College London professor Chris McLeod and Dr. Reza Bahmanyar. Precision is housed in the clinical research center of The Magdi Yacoub Institute to conduct product development.
While the micro-sensor is still undergoing animal testing, it is expected to hit the US market in 2026, where it will also work on obtaining FDA approval. The company has so far licensed long-term patents, proven the final prototype and established links to relevant suppliers.
