Case Study

A portable scanner that lets doctors quickly assess the seriousness of chest pain in patients is a step closer to production following a clinical trial.

Corsens™ uses the heart’s electromagnetic signals to carry out a rapid assessment of cardiac health, allowing clinicians to use it as an aid to rule out serious heart disease in patients without further tests or referrals.

Of the 1.3 million patients admitted to UK emergency departments with chest pain every year, many will not have cardiac conditions, but currently all have to undergo a full investigation, placing an unnecessary burden on hospitals and patients.

Building on feedback

Following a UK-wide clinical trial last year, feedback from clinical staff on a pilot device, VitaScan, has influenced the design of the new Corsens™ device.

Professor Ben Varcoe of the University of Leeds, who developed the idea based on his research, said: “It’s crucial that we can scan anytime, anywhere, and we’ve now dramatically improved how the device copes with environmental noise typical of an emergency department.” The refined Corsens™ device is also lighter and more portable, while the scanner head contains more sensors and is easier to position.

Creavo Medical Technologies, the spin-out company developing the device, has raised a total of £20m investment since the start to take it along the route to commercialisation.

The company recently moved to new facilities, allowing it to expand its on-site manufacturing capabilities and streamline the research and development process.

From concept to device

The idea for Corsens™ was supported by the IKC at Proof of Concept stage with funding and a dedicated project manager. The VitaScan pilot device has already been CE marked for distribution in Europe and received medical device clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration, opening up distribution in the US.

Professor Varcoe said: “We would not have progressed so far and so fast without the IKC’s participation. My background was not in medical devices so they had an element of faith and trust in me to work with them to progress it. Their financing built the bridge from concept to device and their advice led to the development of Creavo as a company.”

Creavo was recently involved in a 12-week global programme with medical technology company Phillips in the Netherlands. Phillips provided valuable input on commercialisation- related issues and the partnership will continue through 2020 and beyond, with Phillips collaborating on the next stage of clinical trials for Corsens™.