Australia-listed medtech firm Artrya has disclosed that its subsidiary in the United States has signed a clinical partnership with Alabama-based Huntsville Heart Center.

According to a media release, an initial agreement between the companies involves a study to determine the efficacy of Artrya's AI technology for diagnosing coronary heart disease.

WHY IT MATTERS

The Artrya Salix is an AI-powered software that analyses cardiac CT scans, detecting atherosclerotic plaque, which is a substrate of most heart attacks. It reports within 15 minutes an assessment of a patient's vulnerable plaques, stenosis, calcium score and total plaque burden.

The Heart Center Research division of the Huntsville Heart Center will conduct a multi-scanner retrospective study to validate the AI behind Artrya Salix. It will use previously obtained CT scans that will be anonymised and uploaded to Salix. Its interpretation will then be compared against the interpretation of recruited expert readers.

Dr Michael L. Ridner, cardiologist and principal investigator of the study, said his team will compare the heart scans "to see if we can validate the accuracy of Artrya Salix AI software in identifying coronary artery disease, specifically high-risk plaque, as compared to human readers".

"AI technology like this holds the potential to change the way we practice medicine, and in this instance, may help us save lives. The Heart Center team is excited to be on the ground floor in evaluating Artrya’s potential," Dr Ridner added.

Jory Tremblay and Ted Schwab, co-CEOs of Artrya USA, said the clinical trial is targeted to be completed by October this year and will provide the validation needed for the future commercial rollout of Salix in the US.

THE LARGER TREND

Artrya developed its AI decision support tool for diagnosing heart disease in collaboration with researchers from the University of Western Australia, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research and the Ottawa Heart Institute. Its development was backed by A$896,606 (around $700,000) funding from the Australian government's Medical Research Future Fund. 

In October last year, Artrya received the federal government's clearance to commercialise Salix across the country. It partnered with the Perth-based radiology practice Envision Medical Imaging to market the product this year.