Summary: Somnics Health, focused on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) treatments, has been selected by the American Heart Association (AHA) for the Heart and Brain Health Accelerator. This program, part of the MedTech Innovator Accelerator, involves over 60 companies gaining access to a network of experts and stakeholders. The selection highlights the link between OSA and atrial fibrillation, emphasizing the importance of innovative treatments. The five finalists, including Somnics Health, will compete in the MedTech Innovator Competition Finals in October.
Key Takeaways:
- Somnics Health is one of five companies chosen for the AHA Heart and Brain Health Accelerator, focusing on obstructive sleep apnea treatments.
- The initiative is part of the larger MedTech Innovator Accelerator Program, providing access to a network of experts and stakeholders.
- The selection underscores the correlation between obstructive sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation, highlighting the need for innovative treatments.
The American Heart Association (AHA), through its Center for Health Technology and Innovation, has selected Somnics Health—the company behind iNAP, an oral negative pressure therapy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)—as one of five startups named to the inaugural AHA Heart and Brain Health Accelerator track of this year’s MedTech Innovator’s cohort.
This initiative, part of the larger MedTech Innovator Accelerator Program, involves over 60 medical technology and digital health companies that will have shared access to an ecosystem of AHA volunteer experts, corporate executives, investors, providers, payors, the Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, and other stakeholders from June to October.
Through the accelerator, the AHA aims to accelerate technology-driven improvements in heart and brain health with the potential to enhance patient outcomes, lower costs, and reduce barriers to care.
Somnics Health’s inclusion in this program underscores the link between OSA and atrial fibrillation, with studies indicating that individuals with sleep apnea are two to four times more likely to develop atrial fibrillation.
[Further reading: FDA Clears Somnics’ Pressure Titration Capability for Sleep Therapy Device]
The five finalists are:
- Acorai AB — Creator of a scalable medical device for non-invasive intracardiac pressure monitoring to improve heart failure management.
- AccurKardia — An ECG-led diagnostics software company whose first product, AccurECG, is FDA-cleared to assist in the analysis of ECGs recorded from holters, event recorders, and cardiac telemetry devices.
- iCE Neurosystems — Developer of the first integrated, continuous EEG system for brain monitoring of critically ill patients.
- SmartCardia — Proprietor of a platform and seven-lead ECG patch for cardiology and remote patient monitoring.
- Somnics Health — A medical device company focused on developing innovative technologies for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.
MedTech Innovator Competition Finals
The MedTech Innovator Competition Finals will be held at the MedTech Conference on Oct 15-17 in Toronto, Canada. The track, announced on Nov 11, 2023, at the American Heart Association’s Annual Scientific Sessions in Philadelphia, will source, evaluate, mentor, and boost the visibility of companies with novel medical technologies and devices, health technologies, or digital health solutions focused on the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and post-treatment secondary prevention of heart and brain health-related diseases and conditions.
Support for Health Tech Companies
This specialized Heart and Brain Health Accelerator track features companies with medical technology and digital health innovation initiatives aligned with the American Heart Association’s lifesaving mission. The five finalists have specific solutions and applications identified by experts for their potential to positively impact cardiovascular and brain health outcomes.
The selected health tech companies now also become official members of the MTI accelerator program for this year. In addition will receive additional specialized mentorship, coaching, and capacity-building customized to their focus on cardiovascular and/or brain conditions and diseases.
Expert Selection Panel
The companies were selected by the expert volunteer members of the advisory committee to the American Heart Association’s Center for Health Technology and Innovation and included:
- Robert Harrington, MD, FAHA, past volunteer president of the American Heart Association (2019-2020), chair of the Association’s Health Tech Advisory Group for the Center and the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean Weill Cornell Medicine and provost for Medical Affairs Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
- Mitchell S. V. Elkind, MD, MS, FAHA, Chief Clinical Science Officer, past volunteer President (2020-2021), American Heart Association
- Alexander J. Blood, MD, MSc, FACC, Cardiologist Mass General Brigham, Boston
- Marat Fudim, MD, MHS, Assistant Professor of Medicine Duke University School of Medicine, Member Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina
- Lisa Suennen, GCBD, Managing Partner, AHA Ventures, Mill Valley, California
- Dr. John Kim, Principal, Aphelion/Cardeation Capital, San Francisco, California
- Heather Provino, Principal Scalon Group, East Greenwich, Rhode Island
- Ken Nelson, MedTech Advantage Fund, Dallas, Texas
- Michael Rennaker, Astellas RX, Seattle, Washington
The American Heart Association and MedTech Innovator expect the Heart and Brain Health Accelerator track to have a three-year life cycle, beginning with the 2024 MTI Accelerator cohort. All early-to mid-stage medical device, diagnostic, and digital health companies with solutions focused on heart and brain health that have raised to at least a Series C level in their capital fundraising are encouraged to apply for consideration.
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