In the United States sudden cardiac death (SCD) claims 325,000 lives every year. SCDs are due to abnormalities in the conducting system of the cardiac tissue, resulting in arrhythmias, and can often occur after cardiac surgeries and other treatments. SCDs are medical emergencies, as cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation must be administered as soon as possible. Unfortunately, SCDs have a high mortality rate because they don’t always occur in settings with readily available medical assistance.
Element Science hopes to change that. The San Francisco-based company’s initial product, the Jewel Patch Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator, is a low-profile personal defibrillator designed to detect and treat life-threatening arrhythmias. The device is designed to be discreet and easy-to-use, according to the company.
The company’s initial market is patients who have a temporarily elevated risk for sudden cardiac death, such as those who have recently undergone treatment for heart failure or other cardiac conditions. According to the company, this encompasses over 500,000 patients in the US every year. In particular, the company hopes that the Jewel device will play a role in helping patients transition from hospital to home.
The company was founded in 2011 by President and CEO Uday Kumar, MD, an electrophysiologist by training. He was previously an entrepreneur-in-residence at Third Rock, co-founded the cardiac monitoring company iRhythm Technologies, and currently serves as a faculty member at Stanford University’s Byers Center for Biodesign.
Element Science recently announced that it has raised $145.6 million in a Series C round led by Deerfield Healthcare and Qiming Venture Partners USA. The company hopes the funding will bring the product through clinical testing and commercial launch.
“Our next-generation digital wearable is a unique breakthrough in personalized digital healthcare based on years of extensive research and testing,” said Kumar in the statement. “Given the broad potential for the Jewel platform to save and improve the lives of patients worldwide, we welcome the strong support of this impressive consortium of investors.”
