UMC Utrecht collaborates with Cordys Analytics to develop AI-powered software to improve the early and more accurate detection of heart disease. The software supports healthcare professionals in making informed decisions and minimizing hospitalizations and complications in patients with untreated heart conditions. To advance the technology, several parties have recently agreed to invest €900.000 in Cordys Analytics. 

Cordys Analytics’ AI-powered software platform for electrocardiogram analysis (AI-ECG software) offers a new and innovative solution to detect heart disease earlier and more accurately. By harnessing the power of advanced deep-learning techniques, this software identifies subtle patterns and abnormalities in ECG data that traditional diagnostic methods often miss. The software supports healthcare professionals in making informed decisions and minimizing hospitalizations and complications in patients with untreated heart conditions. 

Versatile tool 

The user-friendly software seamlessly connects various healthcare organizations and ECG devices, making it a versatile tool for healthcare professionals working in different clinical settings and regions across the globe. Its cloud-based architecture provides operational benefits, such as real-time data analysis, remote accessibility and scalability.  

“Through our research collaboration with UMC Utrecht, we will develop and refine AI-ECG algorithms and software and integrate our diagnostic services into the workflow of doctors and other healthcare professionals,” said Cordys Analytics CEO John van den Berg.  

“I'm really excited about the collaboration between our department and Cordys Analytics. The goal here is to take what we learn from our research and quickly turn it into real-world medical solutions that can be used by everyone. I look forward to this collaboration as I believe it can help us provide better care to our patients, cut down healthcare costs, and improve healthcare outcomes.” says Pim van der Harst, head of the department of Cardiology at UMC Utrecht. 

UMC Utrecht Spin Out 

The research activities began in 2018 at UMC Utrecht in the Netherlands by René van Es, associate professor in the cardiology department, and Rutger van de Leur, a medical doctor and PhD student. The primary goal of their research was to develop AI-powered algorithms for the detection of heart disease from 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) in collaboration with cardiovascular research group at UMC Utrecht to create top-notch machine learning algorithms. UMC Utrecht provided a valuable resource of more than 1.5 million annotated ECGs. This dataset was used to train and validate machine learning algorithms, enabling the development of tools that outperformed the existing software in ECG devices. In 2023 the team successfully created and funded Cordys Analytics as a spin-out company. Cordys Analytics brings together clinicians, engineers and data scientists, enabling innovation in the field of heart care. Cordys Analytics represents a successful example of translating academic research into practical applications with the potential to truly improve healthcare outcomes. For this project LUMO Labs, Utrecht Region and Utrecht Health Seed Fund are now investing € 900,000 in Cordys Analytics, a Dutch healthtech spin-out from UMC Utrecht incubated at UtrechtInc.