The startup develops robotic microfluidic and imaging devices to analyze the effects of drugs and genetic conditions on cardiac and vascular function in patients with genetic heart diseases and cardiac degeneration. By providing precise insights into cardiac health, the technology enables timely interventions for improved patient outcomes.
Funding
$890K raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
Drug discovery for cardiovascular diseases is often costly, time-consuming, and lacks translational relevance when relying solely on mammalian models. Current methods struggle to efficiently screen large compound libraries and validate genetic targets for cardiac and vascular function, hindering the development of effective treatments for genetic heart diseases and cardiac degeneration.
Solution
Zecardio Therapeutics offers a platform for cardiovascular drug discovery that leverages zebrafish models and robotic microfluidic and imaging devices. Their ZeCardio® platform enables high-throughput screening of drug libraries and validation of genetic targets by analyzing the impact of compounds and genetic conditions on cardiac and vascular function in zebrafish larvae. The platform combines robotic microfluidic and imaging equipment with proprietary software to assess heart rate, arrhythmia, blood flow, and vasodilation/constriction. This approach facilitates the identification of new druggable targets and molecules with potential for addressing unmet needs in cardiovascular medicine.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes pharmaceutical companies and researchers focused on cardiovascular drug discovery, particularly those working on genetic heart diseases, cardiac degeneration, and cardio-oncology.
Features
- ZeCardio® platform combines robotic microfluidic and imaging equipment for cardiovascular analysis in zebrafish.
- Proprietary software analyzes the impact of drugs and genetic conditions on cardiac and vascular function.
- High-throughput screening (HTS) capabilities for assessing large compound libraries.
- Validated zebrafish models for dilated cardiomyopathy using CRISPR/Cas9 technology.
- Lead compounds (ZC001-ZC005) demonstrate cardioprotective effects against anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity.
- Capabilities for performing genetic target validation studies and understanding the mechanism of action of discovered molecules.