AliveCor today announced it will collaborate with the Mayo Clinic to develop tools to screen for Long QT Syndrome by combining AliveCor’s artificial intelligence technology with patented algorithms from the Mayo Clinic.
LQTS can be both congenital and acquired, and causes 3,000 to 4,000 sudden deaths in children and young adults a year, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company said. The acquired form of the syndrome can be caused by antibiotics or antidepressants and other medications.
“This agreement makes our vision of universal screening for the early detection of long QT syndrome – a potentially lethal, yet highly treatable condition – one step closer to reality. The electrical heart cycle is emerging as the next vital sign. With very few exceptions, we now know that a prolonged cycle – whether caused by genetics, drugs, electrolyte disturbances or by other diseases – indicates increased risk for early death. Any of these deaths could be averted with simple preventive and/or counteractive measures,” Dr. Michael Ackerman of the Mayo Clinic’s Windland Smith Rice Sudden Death Genomics Lab said in a prepared statement.
Through the collaborative deal, the groups will aim to create new methods and techniques to detect LQTS using AliveCor’s Kardia Mobile device, looking to enable individuals to use preventive medicine to treat the syndrome in a way previously not possible without a visit to a physician’s office, AliveCor said.
“To prevent this type of sudden death, increased awareness and screening is critical. AliveCor’s patented artificial intelligence technology, algorithms and millions of ECGs, paired with Mayo Clinic’s extensive data and world-leading clinical expertise will mean enhanced safety and decreased risk for many. This new technology could one day allow pharmacists, coaches and others to actively screen for and prevent sudden cardiac deaths,” AliveCor CEO Vic Gundotra said in a press release.
In March, AliveCor raised $30.1 million in a round of equity financing, according to an SEC filing.
