Biological Signal Processing (BSP), a developer of electrocardiograph (ECG) technology with diagnostic value for detecting and monitoring ischemic heart diseases (IHD), announces the launch of joint trials with Maccabi Healthcare Services. BSP also announces that the Israeli Government's Chief Scientist Office has approved an R&D grant for the company of $200,000.
BSP is developing a novel system for the monitoring and diagnosis of ischemic heart diseases. The system will enable early detection and reliable non-invasive diagnosis of heart diseases that result from coronary artery disease -- the leading cause of death in the developed world.
The company's technology is based on proprietary ECG signal acquisition and signal processing methods, and will be implemented in stress ECG systems, patient monitoring devices, as well as in implantable defibrillators and pacemakers.
The joint trials with Maccabi Healthcare Services will enable the evaluation of integrating the systems in Maccabi's array of non-invasive cardiology testing. Further clinical studies will be launched in the first quarter of 2004 in West Virginia, USA, as well as in two leading hospitals in Israel.
The clinical studies to date have tested the performance of BSP's system in stress ECG procedures. The results, presenting high diagnostic efficacy far surpassing that of the standard ECG, were presented in two European cardiology conferences .
BSP was founded in 2000 by Dr. Amir Beker, CEO, a graduate of the prestigious 'Talpiot' program of the Israeli Air Force, and a PhD in Medical Physics. The company has raised close to $1m from individual investors in its last round of financing in 2003, and is planning a $3-5 million round in 2004 in order to commercialize its prototype system and receive regulatory FDA and CE approvals.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on Tuesday, January 20, 2004