H2020 funds CVD detector development

EU researchers benefitting from Horizon 2020 funding have begun their investigations into creating an early-stage cardiovascular disease (CVD) detection platform using integrated silicon photonics.

Led by Ghent University, Belgian nanoelectronics firm Imec, and medical technology company Medtronic, the CARDIS project will examine and demonstrate the use of a mobile, low cost device based on a silicon photonics integrated laser Doppler vibrometer. The concept will be validated for the screening of arterial stiffness, detection of stenosis and heart failure in a clinical setting.

Early identification of individuals at risk of CVD allows prompt intervention for halting or reversing the pathological process, encouraging the CARDIS project team to develop this non-invasive, point-of-care screening device for CVD. Currently, there are no tools available to screen a large population set at the primary care level on these parameters, and individuals that are considered to be at low or moderate risk often go undiagnosed.

The three and a half year project will be managed by Imec and other partners in the project consortium including University College Cork Tyndall, France’s INSERM, Queen Mary University of London and Maastricht University.