US-based healthcare technology firms Bunkerhill Health and Cleerly have entered a strategic partnership to enhance non-invasive cardiovascular care through AI technologies.
The collaboration aims to improve early detection and personalised treatment of coronary artery disease.
It will leverage both companies’ FDA-approved solutions to identify at-risk patients and deliver comprehensive cardiovascular care.
Bunkerhill’s Careblocks solution plays a key role in identifying clinically significant findings, prioritising patients for follow-up, and automating care coordination.
Its notable application is the detection and quantification of coronary artery calcium (CAC) on routine, non-gated chest CTs, using Bunkerhill’s FDA-cleared iCAC algorithm.
Careblocks solution enables calcium scoring from widely available imaging, providing a vital tool for early detection of cardiovascular risk during routine care.
Bunkerhill Health co-founder and CEO Nishith Khandwala said: “Too many patients with cardiovascular disease remain undiagnosed until it’s too late. Our Careblocks solution is designed to help health systems detect at-risk patients earlier and connect them with the care they need.
“Cleerly provides another piece of the puzzle by enabling sub-millimetre precision in analysing coronary plaque burden and type, which are critical drivers of heart attacks.
“Through this partnership, Cleerly and Bunkerhill Health are helping hospitals improve risk stratification and ultimately deliver superior patient care.”
Cleerly’s AI-powered diagnostic system further enhances precision by using coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) scans.
Its non-invasive method evaluates the risk of coronary artery disease at a per-vessel level.
It offers healthcare providers a standardised and accurate way to evaluate atherosclerotic plaque burden and composition, traditionally assessed through invasive procedures.
Cleerly founder and CEO James Min said: “We have been deeply impressed by the innovative work Bunkerhill Health has done with AI developed by leading academic medical centres.
“Their technology perfectly complements our goal to identify patients at risk for cardiovascular disease earlier and more effectively.
“Together, we are offering health systems a robust, non-invasive view of cardiovascular risk that empowers them to provide better care and improve long-term outcomes.”
The partnership provides a two-way value proposition for health systems.
Hospitals using Bunkerhill Careblocks can benefit from Cleerly scans for patients flagged with significant coronary calcium burden on routine chest CTs.
Also, hospitals using Cleerly can use Bunkerhill Careblocks to identify more at-risk patients through routine imaging, expanding the pool of candidates for further evaluation.
The partnership aims to enhance patient care and enhance access to life-saving advancements in cardiovascular health.
