SentiAR | Top CardioVascular Device Company 2019

MedTech Outlook Magazine

SentiAR
Enhancing Visibility intoInterventional Electrophysiological Procedures

Berk Tas, President & CEO, Michael Southworth, Co- Founder & VP of Technology, Jennifer Avari Silva, Co-Founder & CMO and Jonathan Silva, Co-Founder & CTO, SentiARBerk Tas, President & CEO, Michael Southworth, Co- Founder & VP of Technology, Jennifer Avari Silva, Co-Founder & CMO and Jonathan Silva, Co-Founder & CTO
Jennifer Avari Silva, a practicing electrophysiologist, was faced with multiple challenges in the catheterization lab related to the lack of accessibility of the patient’s anatomy and electrophysiology information. It was during this time that her husband, Jonathan Silva, an engineering professor, was invited to a Microsoft conference to learn about the launch of the Microsoft HoloLens, which could be used to teach medical students about cardiac anatomy through a 3D model of the human heart. This reminded Jonathan of Jennifer in the catheterization lab navigating a heart with a flat monitor and realized the advantages that the control of a 3D display would provide her. Silva developed the idea with Jennifer and discussed it with their peers to better understand the clinician’s need for such a tool. They got in touch with Michael Southworth, an electrical and computer engineer, and created a prototype for use in the catheterization lab. This started SentiAR’s journey to transform the experience for both clinicians and patients in interventional electrophysiological procedures by delivering a 3D augmented reality platform that features real-time holographic visualization of the actual anatomy floating over the patient. “What is amazing is that I learn something new about the heart’s anatomy every time I interact with the holograms. That is good news for my future patients,” says Jennifer, CMO and Co-Founder at SentiAR.

During an electrophysiology procedure, SentiAR’s revolutionary technology converts CT, MRI, and real-time mapping/catheter location outputs into a real-time hologram in the sterile field to create a 3D model of the patient’s heart along with its electrical activity. This patient specific 3D heart model is hands-free controllable and is presented in front of the electrophysiologist through the head-mounted display.
Within this field, they can expand, reorient, or enter the different chambers of the heart through the floating model to increase the speed and accuracy of the procedures. For instance, they can navigate the model to see and localize the catheters relative to different parts of the anatomy. “By providing real-time visualization, control, and computation, physicians have better access to more areas that were previously obscured from their view to deliver better outcomes,” says Southworth, VP of Technology and Co-Founder at SentiAR. Moreover, multiple users can simultaneously share and participate in the visualization using additional headsets.

What is amazing is that I learn something new about the heart’s anatomy every time I interact with the holograms. That is good news for my future patients

Unlike the prevailing industry trend where similar technologies are developed on existing gaming application engines, SentiAR has purpose-built their product’s infrastructure for healthcare and other real-time, performance critical visualization applications. The vital components of the HoloLens headset have been integrated with in-house technology to ensure maximum reliability during surgeries. “We have built everything from the ground up to provide the infrastructure for real-time medical patient-specific visualization,” says Berk Tas, CEO & President at SentiAR.

SentiAR’s turnkey platform can be implemented in all catheterization labs and currently has a single integration. Jennifer stresses that the company’s goal is to develop deeper integrations to provide better control over the navigation of holographic information. Tas adds that once that is realized, they would also expand their footprint into other medical and non-medical applications beyond cardiac ablation procedures where the problems of control, connectivity, computation, and visualization exist. In medicine, SentiAR sees applications in neurosurgery and ENT, as well as integrations with military, industrial, and manufacturing applications. “We envision a world where our system allows all medical users to design their workflow in a virtual environment through their head-up display powered by our engines,” says Tas. “The bigger picture that we see for the medical field is our products fully integrated into clinician’s workflow, simplifying it and increasing the precision of procedures,” concludes Jon Silva, CTO and Co-Founder.

Top 10 CardioVascular Device Companies - 2019

Company
SentiAR

Management
Berk Tas, President & CEO, Michael Southworth, Co- Founder & VP of Technology, Jennifer Avari Silva, Co-Founder & CMO and Jonathan Silva, Co-Founder & CTO

Description
Delivers a 3D augmented reality platform that features real-time holographic visualization of the patient’s actual anatomy floating over the patient for better electrophysiology procedures

SentiAR News

SentiAR Announces Second FDA Clearance for CommandEP™ Interface

Continued expansion of clinical and industry partnerships
ST. LOUIS - SentiAR, Inc. a St. Louis, Missouri based pioneer in using Augmented Reality (AR) visualization technology for medical procedures has received their second FDA 510K clearance CommandEP™ adding a new integration.
CommandEP™ integrates existing 3D cardiac mapping systems to create a real time 3D holographic interface that provides physicians with an interactive, 360-degree view of the patient's specific anatomy to allow them to deliver cardiac ablation therapy with more precision. The CommandEP system utilizes a specially designed headset worn by the physician allowing hands-free manipulation of the patient's data for the first time, in addition to real-time heart anatomy and catheter locations inside the heart. This technology provides physicians control of their digital tools during cardiac ablation procedures.
Berk Tas, CEO of SentiAR said, "We are excited to have gained our second 510K clearance for our innovative CommandEP™ technology with a new integration. This new clearance allows us to continue expanding our clinical and industry partnerships. Our physicians have been looking for a tool that can provide full 3D visualization in real-time while allowing hands-free control of images. We are honored to be able to provide this to our physicians."
Gregory Michaud, MD, Clinical Director, Telemachus & Irene Demoulas Family Foundation Center for Cardiac Arrhythmias at Massachusetts General Hospital said "Our initial clinical experience with the CommandEP system has been promising. Being able to see patient anatomy in full 3D visualization with contact force allows us to identify targets and navigate more efficiently. We look forward to continuing our use of the system as new features are developed."
CommandEP is the first application of its kind in the world and SentiAR anticipates completion of new clinical studies later this year.

SentiAR Announces Close of $8.5 million Series B Financing

ST. LOUIS - SentiAR, Inc. a St. Louis, Missouri based pioneer in using Augmented Reality (AR) visualization technology for medical procedures, has closed an $8.5 million Series B financing. The financing was led by cultivate (MD) Ventures and joined by MedVenture Partners alongside several insider investors, including TechWald Holding, VCapital, QRM Capital, and Harmonix Fund. The funding will allow the company to launch additional partnerships and wider clinical deployments.
The company's innovative first product, CommandEP™, integrates existing imaging systems to create a real time 3D holographic interface. This interface provides physicians with an interactive, 360-degree view of the patient's specific anatomy to allow them to deliver cardiac ablation therapy to patients. The CommandEP system utilizes a specially designed headset worn by the physician allowing hands-free manipulation of the patient's data for the first time, in addition to real-time heart anatomy and catheter locations inside the heart. The CommandEP system is designed to be utilized during cardiac ablation procedures to increase physician navigation accuracy and speed. This technology offers physicians control of their digital tools and has been shown to improve physician navigation accuracy in the heart by up to 50%.
Berk Tas, CEO of SentiAR said, "We are delighted to welcome new investors. This funding allows us to meet the great interest from physicians for this first of its kind application. We look forward to working with our clinical and strategic partners as we scale up clinical deployments."
Dr. Jag Singh, MD, PhD, Cardiac Electrophysiologist, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Founding Director of Resynchronization and Advanced Cardiac Therapeutics Program at Massachusetts General Hospital Heart Center, said, "We have been looking for a tool like this for a long time. The CommandEP system's ability to provide full 3D visualization in real-time and giving us the ability to control our images, hands-free, for the first time is exciting. We look forward to the potential benefits of CommandEP for our patients."
Dr. R. Sean Churchill, MD, MBA, Executive Director of Genesis Innovation Group's cultivate (MD) Ventures said, "Our group has been looking for a valuable clinical AR solution that has the potential to disrupt how clinical procedures are performed. SentiAR's, CommandEP system fits this perfectly. It is profoundly impactful, exceptionally simple and does not impede clinical workflows. The system is developed by a star team. We are proud to partner with them and bring CommandEP to serve our physicians and patients."
CommandEP is the first application of its kind in the world and SentiAR anticipates completion of new clinical studies in the second half of this year.