Dental Plaque

Elucid also said that it is developing its FDA-cleared PlaqueIQ software toward a new indication, for calculating fractional flow reserve from CT scans—an analysis of the flow of oxygenated blood through the various branches of the cardiac muscle’s coronary arteries. The cardiovascular imaging company Elucid has made it clear they mean to deliver on their promise of artificial intelligence-powered exams to chart the insides of blocked arteries. And now they’ve raised $80 million to do so. Financially speaking, the startup has kept up its momentum since last year’s venture capital fundraising—with a $27 million series B in June 2022, which just about tripled its $8 million round from the year before. The most recent series C continues that trajectory, for a total of $121 million since Elucid’s founding. With green lights in the U.S. and Europe, the company’s diagnostic software takes CT angiography scan data and uses AI algorithms to build 3D models of the build-ups of plaque within the blood vessels—giving clinicians a much more detailed view into the key drivers of strokes and heart attacks, by simulating what a pathologist might see under a microscope with a physical sample. This can also include objective analyses of the make-up and stability of the arterial plaque itself, not just its geometry, to help predict the chances it may break apart and cut off blood flow down the line to the brain, heart or other organs of the body. Elucid also said that it is developing its PlaqueIQ software toward a new indication, for calculating fractional flow reserve from CT scans—an analysis of the flow of oxygenated blood through the various branches of the cardiac muscle’s coronary arteries. The company’s series C funding round was the first major public outing by Elevage Medical Technologies, a medtech-focused fund launched this past May with a $300 million investment from Patient Square Capital.  Elevage led the round with additional backing from Elucid’s previous investors, which have included Biovision Ventures, IAG Capital, Bold Brain Ventures, BlueStone Venture Partners and MedTex Ventures. Elevage’s CEO, Evan Melrose, and senior advisor Kelly Huang joined the company’s board of directors as part of the financing.

FreedomFlow orbital atherectomy peripheral platform is designed to clear the plaque blockages formed in the arteries of the legs, using an advanced mechanism of action, and supports a broad range of vessel diameters, from 2mm in the ankle to 8mm in the hip FreedomFlow Orbital Atherectomy Platform. (Credit: Business Wire) US-based medical devices firm Cardio Flow has received the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) approval for its FreedomFlow orbital atherectomy peripheral platform. The FreedomFlow platform is designed to incorporate an advanced mechanism of action to clear the blockages formed in the arteries of the legs, due to the accumulation of plaque. Its unique catheter-based design uses angular momentum to create a spiral geometry that enables the five diamond-coated spheres to be in contact with the vessel wall. The FreedomFlow platform also features a diamond-coated tip that enables the driveshaft to easily navigate through tight blockages, said the medical device maker. Cardio Flow CEO Michael Kallok said: “Cardio Flow is committed to providing meaningful solutions that directly address the needs of physicians and their PAD patients through innovative product development. “Many of the existing atherectomy devices on the market have various design constraints and capital equipment costs. “With FreedomFlow, we strove to provide physicians with the freedom to treat complex PAD hip to heel with a simple yet sophisticated device that would answer the call for flexible treatment options and cost savings for healthcare systems.” Cardio Flow said that the unique approach of the FreedomFlow platform provides physicians with an effective and flexible way to treat complex peripheral arterial disease (PAD). It supports a broad range of vessel diameters, from 2mm in the ankle to 8mm in the hip and is flexible in treating multiple arteries and blockages in the same vessel, with a single device. The FreedomFlow platform enables time savings and cost efficiencies, with rapid and simple device setup, requires no capital equipment, or lubricant, and reduced inventory needs. It also provides quicker run times, consistent treatment outcomes, and a nearly flat learning curve for physicians, and is suitable for hospitals, ambulatory surgical centres, and office labs. Ascension St. John’s Hospital cardiovascular research director Thomas Davis said: “The incidence of patients presenting with multi-level PAD has increased dramatically in my practice, so having a flexible, efficient, and easy-to-use device that can treat PAD in a broad range of vessel sizes is a key advantage for physicians and patients as we seek to reduce the number of PAD-related amputations.”

Financing will further drive commercial scale for HeartFlow’s AI-enabled portfolio of precision heart care products MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., April 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HeartFlow, Inc., the leader in revolutionizing precision heart care, today announced the close of a $215 million Series F funding round by its parent company HeartFlow Holding, Inc., led by Bain Capital Life Sciences with participation from new investor Janus Henderson Investors, and existing investors including Baillie Gifford, Capricorn Investment Group, Hayfin Capital Management, HealthCor, Martis Capital, USVP and Wellington Management. This new funding will enable HeartFlow to meet the growing demand for its commercial products, support a robust body of growing clinical evidence and advance its comprehensive product portfolio to help physicians to diagnose coronary artery disease (CAD) and guide their treatment decisions. The financing follows a period of remarkable growth for HeartFlow. Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and FFRCT have already been recognized by the recent ACC/AHA Chest Pain Guidelines, and HeartFlow’s FFRCT technology is covered by 100% of Medicare and over 98% of commercial payers. With the recent FDA clearance of new products, the company is the first and only company to provide non-invasive coronary artery anatomy (RoadMap™ analysis), physiology (HeartFlow® FFRCT) and plaque information (Plaque analysis) based on CCTA. These products enable physicians to gain more understanding of a patient’s CAD and are the most comprehensive approach to predict risk of a heart attack.1 “HeartFlow has built a strong intellectual property portfolio, brought to market the only combined anatomy, physiology and plaque analysis to help diagnose and treat heart disease, and is now in over 725 hospital systems worldwide with over 180,000 patients served to date,” said John Farquhar, Chief Executive Officer of HeartFlow. "The oversubscription of our Series F funding round, particularly in the current market backdrop, is a strong validation of our technology, our team and the opportunity in front of us. We appreciate the support of our investors, both existing and new, who share HeartFlow's vision to build a new standard of care for people at risk of heart disease.” “HeartFlow is a leader in precision heart care and its AI-enabled products promise to help physicians more effectively diagnose and treat heart disease, which continues to be the leading cause of death in the U.S.,” said Nicholas Downing, M.D., a Managing Director at Bain Capital Life Sciences. “We look forward to supporting the company’s commitment to improving cardiovascular care for patients as it heads into this exciting next chapter of growth.” The HeartFlow product pipeline is expected to continue to propel the company’s position as a precision diagnostics leader. HeartFlow’s additional product launches will enable the company to further support physicians in their commitment to improve cardiovascular patient outcomes. J.P. Morgan acted as sole placement agent to HeartFlow. About HeartFlow HeartFlow is the global leader in revolutionizing precision heart care, uniquely combining human ingenuity with advanced AI technology. Headquartered in Mountain View, California, our technology has been published in more than 500 peer-reviewed publications that showcase the value of anatomy, physiology and plaque. We began our journey to improve CAD diagnosis with FFRCT and have now expanded our product portfolio to include anatomic stenosis and plaque information. To date, clinicians have used our technology for over 180,000 patients to aid in the diagnosis of heart disease. For more information, visit and connect on Twitter and LinkedIn. Contacts For Media Linly Ku HeartFlow media@heartflow.com 1 Emerald I - Lee, et al. JACC Imaging 2019.