Dutch-based Amazec Photonics bags €1.5M to advanced cardiovascular monitoring tech

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Netherlands-based Amazec Photonics, an integrated photonics company specialising in cardiovascular monitoring & diagnostics, has secured €1.5M in a Seed round of funding. 

The round was led by PhotonDelta, a cross-border growth accelerator and ecosystem of photonic chip technology organisations. Several private investors also contributed to this round.

Laurens Weers, CFO of PhotonDelta says, “Amazec has leveraged the power of photonics to create a device that can make a profound impact on the world. Cardiovascular disease is one of the biggest health challenges we face and better diagnosis can be the key to saving millions of lives.”

“We’re very proud to be a part of Amazec’s journey – we believe it has the capacity to become one of Europe’s most important medtechs and a standard bearer for a new generation of photonics-based technology.”

Prior to this round, in June 2023, Amazec received a €300K convertible loan from the Noord-Holland Innovation Fund (INH).

“Easy and reliable cardiovascular diagnostic tool”

Amazec Photonics addresses the global challenge of cardiovascular diseases – a leading cause of 19 million deaths yearly, according to the company. Their solution offers early and accurate diagnosis at minimal cost and complexity.

The company was founded in 2021 by Pim Kat, Ton Backx, Erik Korsten and Arthur Bouwman.

CEO Kat says, “The number of people suffering from cardiovascular diseases has risen by 93 per cent over the past 25 years and now impacts an estimated 550 million patients worldwide. Many of these people will die or suffer poor health outcomes because the tools we have to diagnose them simply aren’t good enough.”

“Our solution can make a real difference because, not only does it vastly improve the accuracy of testing for cardiovascular disease, but it is also much less invasive and simpler to use. This will substantially reduce costs and open the door to many more people being tested much more regularly.”

The company innovates cardiovascular monitoring tools, aiming to overcome the drawbacks of current solutions. Conventional techniques like thermodilution, involving invasive procedures and high costs, often result in late or inaccurate diagnoses, impacting patient outcomes.

Amazec’s solution uses photonics technology to achieve precision in measuring temperature changes (0.0001˚C) compared to the current standard of 0.01˚C. 

The external monitoring device eliminates the need for catheter insertion. Real-time, multiple measurements enhance reliability, an improvement over the single measurement approach in existing methods.

Capital utilisation

The funds will support the development of Amazec Photonics’ minimally invasive diagnostic devices for clinical trials.

CEO Kat says, “With this funding round we will be able to build ten prototypes and undertake extensive clinical trials with the intention of producing and selling devices across the EU by 2028.”

Amazec Photonics is set to commence clinical trials of its device at Catharina Hospital in Eindhoven this year. The company plans to expand trials to three additional hospitals in 2025.

The ultimate goal is to initiate full-scale production and sales across the European Union by 2028.

Amazec Photonics’ system

The Dutch company’s system is built on previous R&D projects undertaken by Technobis Fibre Technologies for ASML, FEI (focused on high-resolution FBG sensing), and AMC (focused on hyperthermia sensor development). 

Amazec Photonics has enhanced the integrated photonics chip, improved the stability of the integrated photonics system, and developed new algorithms for processing raw data. These advancements are crucial for transforming recorded data into meaningful signals and graphs.

The company’s use of multiple IDCs measurements enhances the reliability of cardiac output compared to the single measurements in current methods. This innovation improves accuracy as well as enables the calculation of CTBV, a new clinical parameter for measuring blood volume in the body.

CEO Kat says, “The photonics-based system will show details of heart performance and circulating blood volume that are normally lost in the noise when using best-performing electrical sensors. It will give detailed insight into the performance of cardiac functions based on non-invasive measurement of blood temperature variations.”

“After injecting 10cc of cold Saline into the blood flow, we measure Cardiac Output and Ejection Fraction from the first pass of the thermodilution curve. This is not new. However, we also detect a second pass of the thermodilution curve after a full circulation through the body of the dispersed cold saline.”

“This enables calculation of the Total Thermal Circulating Blood Volume, a very critical parameter at surgery with significant blood losses, trauma, but also in patients with for instance kidney insufficiency or heart failure.”

“Our patented method will give an almost real-time insight into the cardiac and volume status of the patient with a non-invasive, easy-to-apply measurement.”

Brief about PhotonDelta

PhotonDelta is an ecosystem of organisations that drive advancements in photonic chip technology. It fosters collaboration, provides funding, and connects organisations to markets.

As part of its mission, PhotonDelta aims to support the creation of 200 startups, foster innovative applications for photonic chips, and contribute to the development of infrastructure and talent in the photonics sector.

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Vishal Singh

Vishal Singh is a News Reporter and Social Media Marketing Lead at Silicon Canals. He covers developments in the European startup ecosystem and oversees the publication's social media presence. Before joining Silicon Canals, Vishal gained experience at the Indian digital media outlet Inc42, contributing to its growth with insightful content. Despite being a college dropout, his passion for writing has driven his career in journalism.

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