Pathway Labs has announced an $8.5 million seed financing round led by AlleyCorp and Breyer Capital, alongside the launch of EchoNext, an FDA-approved artificial intelligence platform designed to identify patients at high risk for structural heart disease using standard 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs).
The launch follows growing attention to AI’s role in cardiovascular diagnostics and coincides with publication of a patient case that highlights the technology’s clinical potential. Developed by Dr. Pierre Elias, medical director of AI and cardiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia University Irving Medical Center, EchoNext analyzes ECGs to identify patterns associated with serious heart conditions that may not be detected through traditional interpretation.
The system was evaluated through a clinical trial in which researchers analyzed ECGs performed across the NewYork-Presbyterian health system. According to Dr. Elias, the platform reviews ECGs within minutes of completion and can assess nearly 500,000 ECGs annually.
One patient identified through the program was Louie Quiros, a 45-year-old caregiver and security guard who initially presented to an emergency department with breathing difficulties and coughing up blood. Although his ECG was abnormal, it did not point clinicians toward a definitive diagnosis. Researchers using EchoNext subsequently flagged the ECG as potentially indicating severe heart damage, prompting additional testing.
An echocardiogram later revealed significant cardiac dysfunction, with the patient's heart pumping only a fraction of the expected blood volume and evidence of a leaking mitral valve. Further genetic testing identified a rare inherited condition associated with sudden cardiac death. The patient ultimately underwent a heart transplant.
EchoNext is designed to detect signs of poor cardiac pumping function, valve disease, abnormal heart wall thickening and elevated pulmonary pressures. The tool will be made available through the OpenEvidence clinical platform, enabling physicians to submit ECGs for AI-assisted analysis.
“The reality is that who is sick and who is not is not black and white,” Dr. Elias said. “The ECG is abnormal, but many ECGs are abnormal. If we ordered echoes for every single abnormal ECG, we’d probably bankrupt health care.”
The new funding will support commercialization and broader deployment of the technology as Pathway Labs seeks to expand access to AI-enabled cardiovascular screening and earlier disease detection.
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