A groundbreaking medical platform from Mason could help doctors detect heart problems in less than five minutes. Its origin? An Ohio State University dropout turned entrepreneur.
Peeyush Shrivastava, CEO and co-founder of Genetesis, recalls the medical technology company’s early days as “a dorm-room startup.” Now, it’s getting closer to emergency room implementation as its flagship cardiac imaging platform received FDA 510(k) clearance in March 2019.
“The onus of starting the company was to translate a well-understood laboratory technique into a clinically meaningful diagnostic test,” Shrivastava said. “We originally began developing an application for cardiac arrhythmia mapping, but were quickly pulled into solving the global challenge of chest pain triage by frustrated physicians who really saw the potential for what we were building.”
“We saw a strong medical technology ecosystem in Cincinnati (especially in Mason)."
Genetesis’ revolutionary platform pairs its non-invasive cardiac imaging product, CardioFlux, with an integrated and secure Faraday Analytical Cloud that displays data for physician review. CardioFlux scans the body in less than 90 seconds and the FAC produces a cardiac imaging report within five minutes. This speedy process goes leaps and bounds beyond the current chest pain triage process, which can take anywhere from 12 to 36 hours, according to the Genetesis website.
Rapid results and non-invasive, radiation-free cardiac imaging may sound too good to be true, but a study using a CardioFlux prototype device at Ascension St. John Hospital's Emergency Department Observation Unit in Detroit showed “great potential,” according to a press release.
They’re not the only ones to see Genetesis’ potential. With $10 million raised through seed and Series A, as well as grants and awards, it’s obvious many see the medical advancements at hand. Genetesis’ roster of high-profile investors includes CincyTech, Ohio Innovation Fund, Raptor Group and Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban. Cuban even made a buzzworthy appearance to get his heart scanned at the annual American Heart Association Meeting in November 2018.
With recent momentum like the FDA 510(k) clearance — which means Genetsis can now market the product — the startup is garnering press and accolades for its revolutionary cardiac imaging product. It was dubbed "Editor's Choice for Most Innovative New Cardiac Technology" at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in 2018, and it was listed as one of the 2018 Global Digital Health 100, a premier health tech industry award program.
While the praise and business milestones are exciting, Shrivastava won’t forget where he came from — nor will he forget CincyTech, which he first approached at the ripe age of 19.
“We saw a strong medical technology ecosystem in Cincinnati (especially in Mason),” Shrivastava said. “The City of Mason and CincyTech provided us with critical resources and support during our formative years, which reinforced our belief that incredible things can be done with this community.”
