STAR Mapping

RHYTHM AI has announced the closure of a £2.15 million seed financing round. The round was led by an affiliate of Rinkelberg Capital, a private wealth management firm based in London, and was supported by investment from founders. The proceeds will fund a multicentre study of STAR Mapping to improve outcomes of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) treatment.

STAR Mapping is a new, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven mapping system developed by cardiologists at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, UK, using novel computer algorithms to identify the sources or drivers of AF. The platform uses data acquired from the standard equipment typically used in the procedure to treat the condition. In a press release, the company points out that outcomes in a single centre study, published in May 2019, demonstrated that 80% of patients treated in a single procedure using STAR Mapping were free of AF without the use of anti-arrhythmia drugs at an average of 18.5 months follow-up. It says that this compares very favourably to a study published in 2015, which demonstrated 48% of patients free form AF at 18 months follow-up using the standard mapping treatment.

Simon Hubbert, executive chairman of RHYTHM AI, said: “We are delighted to have successfully closed this seed financing round, and we welcome our new investors. We are particularly grateful for the support of Rinkelberg Capital who share our values, enthusiasm and commitment to improve outcomes for the huge number of patients suffering from persistent AF. We look forward to deploying the proceeds from the financing to further demonstrate the potential of our proprietary STAR Mapping platform to improve outcomes in a multi-centre clinical study of patients being treated for persistent AF. AF is the most common type of abnormal heart rhythm seen in clinical practice and is associated with significant clinical morbidity and costs for the healthcare system.”

Commenting on their investment, Marc Slenderbroek, the CEO of Rinkelberg Capital, said: “We are pleased to be supporting Professor Richard Schilling, Simon and the team at RHYTHM AI in this exciting project and we look forward to positive results from the upcoming multicentre trial of STAR Mapping.”