Prevencio, Inc. today announces the development of a highly accurate blood test, HART KD, for diagnosis of Kawasaki disease. The company collaborated with Seattle Children’s Research Institute and leveraged its Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven HART platform and expertise in developing cardiac blood tests.
Kawasaki disease is a rare but fatal childhood disease that causes inflammation in the walls of arteries throughout the body. It occurs mostly in children younger than 5 years old. Previously, there were no specific tests available for diagnosis. Experts like Dr. Michael Portman from Seattle Children’s Hospital believe that COVID-19 is triggering Kawasaki disease in some cases.
“Among the main presenting symptoms of Kawasaki disease are persistent fever and rash. This makes diagnosis challenging as thousands of children with these symptoms present annually to U.S. emergency departments,” stated Michael Portman, MD, director of pediatric cardiovascular research at Seattle Children’s and professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. “With COVID-19-associated Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), diagnosis of Kawasaki disease has become even more challenging and critical as the two have similar presenting symptoms, and it remains unclear whether Kawasaki disease can be triggered by the COVID virus.”
Without early treatment, Kawasaki disease can cause an increased risk of coronary (heart) artery dilation and aneurysms (ballooning), leading to the need for lifelong therapy and cardiac interventions.
“Before this, there was no specific diagnostic test for Kawasaki disease,” Portman added. “We are excited with the robust accuracy of HART KD and appreciate our collaboration with Prevencio to address this critical, unmet medical need.”
Prevencio used their long-standing, certified laboratory partner, Myriad RBM, to conduct protein measurements on blood samples collected from children with Kawasaki disease and is developing commercial options for offering HART KD for children suspected of Kawasaki disease.
“We are pleased to collaborate with Seattle Children’s Research Institute, one of the nation’s top five pediatric research centers,” stated Rhonda Rhyne, Prevencio’s chief executive officer. “We are excited to expand use of our AI Hart platform to Kawasaki disease and to be at the forefront of treating COVID-related medical issues. Prevencio retains world-wide exclusive rights and is exploring protein-measuring platforms and licensing partnerships to distribute HART KD.”
About Prevencio HART Tests:
Powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), Prevencio is revolutionizing blood tests for cardiovascular disease and custom diagnostics. Employing this novel approach, the company has developed eight blood tests that significantly improve diagnoses for a variety of heart and blood vessel-related complications.
HART Tests:
- HART CADhs™ / CAD™ – obstructive coronary artery disease diagnosis
- HART CVE™ – 1-year risk of heart attack, stroke or cardiac death
- HART PAD™ – peripheral artery disease diagnosis
- HART AS™ – aortic valve stenosis diagnosis
- HART AMP™ – amputation risk
- HART AKI™ – acute kidney injury risk
- HART KD™ – Kawasaki Disease diagnosis
HART test results are peer-reviewed and have been presented/published at 19 leading cardiology meetings/journals.
About Prevencio, Inc.:
Prevencio’s value proposition is “Preventing the Preventable” — That is, preventing unnecessary procedures, related side effects, and expense, as well as improving patient outcomes and clinical trials through more accurate blood tests for Cardiovascular Disease conditions. Prevencio utilizes Machine Learning (Artificial Intelligence) + Multi-Proteomic Biomarkers + Proprietary Algorithms to deliver cardiovascular diagnostic & prognostic tests that are significantly more accurate than standard-of-care stress tests. The company is headquartered in Kirkland, Washington. For additional information, visit www.PrevencioMed.com.
Forward-Looking (Safe Harbor) Statement:
Except for historical and factual information contained herein, this press release contains forward-looking statements, such as market need and size, the accuracy of which is necessarily subject to uncertainties and risks including the Company’s sole dependence on HART technology and various uncertainties of development-stage companies. The Company does not undertake to update disclosures contained in this press release.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200917005285/en/