The company is collaborating with medical device and pharmaceutical firms to create combinations of therapies and data to help personalise cardiac care
Eko has collaborated with major healthcare clinics to change how cardiac care is managed (Credit: Eko)
US-based AI-powered digital health company Eko has secured $20m (£16.1m) funds to advance the research and development, and commercialisation of its machine learning platform for cardiac screening and analysis.
The series B funding has been raised under the round led by ARTIS Ventures. New and returning investors such as DigiTx Partners, NTT Venture Capital (NTTVC), 3M Ventures, Mayo Clinic, Seraph Group, and XTX Ventures have also participated in the financing round.
Eko to advance development of machine learning platform for cardiac screening and analysis
Eko will also work with medical device and pharmaceutical firms to create combinations of therapies and data for the personalisation of cardiac care.
By expanding its focus on clinical research, the company intends to increase investments in its collaborations with the Mayo Clinic, Northwestern Medicine, and UCSF.
The collaborative studies will allow the company to develop algorithms with more advanced data sets targeted to specific conditions such as atrial fibrillation and valvular heart disease, congestive heart failure and structural heart disease.
Mayo Clinic is collaborating with Eko to develop and commercialise a machine learning-based algorithm for the screening of patients to detect a low ejection fraction, a weak pump of blood.
Northwestern Medicine is working with Eko on a study to improve valvular heart disease screening using machine learning, while Sutter Health is using the firm’s enterprise software in Northern California to connect cardiologists in Sacramento with patients who visit rural clinics for ongoing cardiology services.
Eko has developed the first cardiac monitor to combine digital stethoscope and ECG technology both for in-clinic and at-home monitoring, allowing patients to seamlessly and consistently send cardiac data to their physicians.
Eko CEO Connor Landgraf said: “With the staggering number of people affected by heart disease, it’s clear that advancements in cardiac screening and monitoring have never been more urgent.
“Artificial intelligence is arguably one of the most powerful advancements in modern medicine, enabling clinicians to predict with more accuracy, diagnose with more confidence, and in the end, give their patients the best care possible.”
In December 2016, Eko Devices secured a licence from the Health Canada for its Eko Core digital stethoscope.