AI-Powered Ultrasound Diagnostics: Ultromics Secures $55M for Heart Failure Detection

Ultromics, an Oxford, U.K.-based company specializing in artificial intelligence (AI)-powered ultrasound diagnostics, has successfully raised $55 million in a Series C funding round. This significant investment aims to expand the reach of the company's innovative technology for detecting hidden cardiac conditions, particularly focusing on heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and cardiac amyloidosis.

EchoGo Platform: Revolutionizing Cardiac Diagnostics

Ultromics' flagship product, the EchoGo platform, has demonstrated remarkable capabilities in improving the detection of HFpEF by 73% compared to standard clinical risk scores. The AI-driven software analyzes routine echocardiograms, enabling clinicians to identify high-risk patients earlier and intervene before disease progression.

Dr. Ross Upton, founder and CEO of Ultromics, emphasized the transformative potential of their technology: "The reality is, hospitals already have the data, they just haven't had the tools to extract the more subtle diagnostic signals from it. By analyzing routine echocardiograms with AI, we're helping clinicians identify high-risk patients earlier, enabling intervention before disease progresses."

Expanding Diagnostic Capabilities

In addition to its HFpEF detection capabilities, Ultromics is developing a screening tool for cardiac amyloidosis, a condition often mistaken for other diseases while contributing to heart failure. This AI program, which received FDA breakthrough designation, was granted regulatory clearance late last year.

A recent study published in the European Heart Journal showcased the effectiveness of EchoGo Amyloidosis. The software demonstrated 85% sensitivity and 93% specificity across all major cardiac amyloidosis subtypes, successfully distinguishing them from similar conditions such as hypertensive heart disease, HFpEF, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Industry Collaboration and Future Prospects

Ultromics has garnered support from major pharmaceutical companies developing therapies for transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM). Johnson & Johnson's Janssen Biotech supported the development of EchoGo Amyloidosis, while Pfizer assisted in performance testing and validation prior to regulatory submission.

Victor Westerlind, managing director at Allegis Capital, one of the lead investors in the funding round, highlighted the significance of Ultromics' work: "There's a long-standing blind spot in cardiology where millions of patients with treatable heart failure are missed because their symptoms are subtle and echo images are hard to interpret. What's exciting about Ultromics is how they're closing that gap."

The substantial funding and industry support position Ultromics to play a pivotal role in addressing the growing heart failure crisis, potentially saving countless lives through early detection and intervention.