Jennifer Silva, MD, is a pediatric cardiologist and associate professor of pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine. Jonathan Silva is associate professor of biomedical engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering.
SentiAR’s first product, the CommandEP system, is an augmented reality (AR) software used in cardiac procedures. The patented system converts outputs from CT, MRI, and catheter mapping into a 3D hologram of the heart that “floats” above the patient showing the position of the catheters in real-time via a wearable headset. In clinical studies, the system demonstrated up to 50% improvement in point navigation accuracy, potentially reducing operating time and exposure to radiation. Another advantage: Using multiple headsets, more than one clinician can view the heart at the same time.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration cleared the CommandEP system as is the first holographic guidance system to be used during invasive cardiac procedures.
The newest investor, TechWald Holding, joins BioGenerator, the investment arm of BioSTL; Cultivation Capital; VCapital; Neue Fund; QRM Capital and Keiretsu Forum.
The Silvas licensed their technology to SentiAR, which is further developing the AR software. SentiAR has funding from the National Institutes of Health as well as St. Louis investment firms Cultivation Capital and BioGenerator. They are working with the university’s Office of Technology Management to bring the technology to market.
