AUTONOMICSYSTEMS
A Heart Rate Variability Company
A Heart Rate Variability Company
Autonomic Systems LLC (ANS) is an Arizona-based company focused on innovating and developing unique systems solutions for cardiac health. We are developing a next generation and previously unattained solution for personalized cardiac monitoring. ANS integrates true 24/7 monitoring, a clinically driven user-specific assessment, and real-time notification for life threatening cardiac conditions, combined into a tiny, wearable device, operating without user intervention. Our proprietary approach to overseeing heart health is patent protected and encompasses novel algorithmic solutions and system designs.
In the U.S. today, approximately 6 million adults have atrial fibrillation (AFib), putting them at an increased risk of stroke with 1 in 4 experiencing some form of heart failure. As many as 30% of these cases go undiagnosed until debilitating complications occur. AFib alone is attributed as causing over 130,000 deaths and 750,000 hospitalizations annually.
Detection of AFib and immediate treatment can potentially avert many of the debilitating effects and provides the best approach to saving lives. ANS has intellectual property, has engineered the technology, and has taken the approach and tactic necessary to solve this problem.
Currently, the company is developing expertise around the application of heart rate monitoring in a way that can provide real-time alerting about changes in a user’s physiological condition. Academic studies have shown that early detection and preventative actions taken can effectively reduce the incidence of mortality due to cardiac events.
On a clinical level, monitoring can be used to alert the user to changes in their health and physiological status. For non-clinical applications, such as during endurance sports, athletes can use our technology to help examine their lactate threshold and other cardiovascular health parameters to help maximize efficiency, performance, and recovery.
Wearable technology has been developed by ANS that can be incorporated into chest straps, patches, garments, and many other variations of wearable devices. Our hardware utilizes ultra-low power components to ensure an extended battery life, and the use of low energy Bluetooth for remote real-time alerting. Proprietary algorithms have been developed to handle clinically-specified, user-personalized analysis and assessment on a real time basis.
We believe that ease of use and connectivity are very important for mobile health (mHealth) devices.
ECG capture, analysis and assessment, utilizing beats, time, and wave approaches, provide immediate, user-specific methods for assessing cardiac health relating to clinical and non-clinical physiological states.
HRV waveforms can be parsed via various algorithms to detect deviations from baseline readings, therefore alerting a user through their mobile phone or other peripheral device when there is a change in their physiological status.
Mike Blake is a co-founder and the CEO of the company. Prior to the formation of ANS, Mr. Blake had developed novel, wearable PPG technology exhibiting ECG accuracy. His work in electrophysiology has focused on data capture and analysis relating to changes in cardiac activity under varying clinical, physiological and stress conditions. Mr. Blake has over 25 years of technical leadership positions in medical device, imaging and instrumentation, product development, applications and integration. Mr. Blake holds a BSc (Hons) in field Electrical Engineering from Bath University and is an International Professional Engineer (IntPE(UK)).
Rodney Kugizaki is a co-founder and the COO of the company. Prior to the formation of ANS, Mr. Kugizaki has held technical and business leadership positions in medical diagnostics, personalized healthcare, product, system, software and process development. With over 30 years of experience, he has been in leadership positions with Johnson and Johnson, Roche Diagnostics and multiple start-up organizations. In 2015, Mr. Kugizaki co-founded ANS with Mr. Blake. Mr. Kugizaki holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles.
At ANS, Dr. Alice Ferng is responsible for the connection between ECG analysis and medical diagnostics. Her background in physiological sciences and medicine contribute to the company’s drive to address pressing medical diagnostics needs. Prior to joining ANS, she was an MD/PhD Candidate with over 15 years of experience in clinical translational laboratories, most recently interacting with cardiac transplant patients while working on growing human hearts in bioreactors, stem cell therapies, tissue engineering, and 3D bioprinting. Dr. Ferng holds a PhD in Physiological Sciences and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Arizona.
At ANS, Dr. Mark Moellenhoff, is responsible for the algorithm development and the data analysis and characterization necessary to provide verifiable device performance. Prior to his work at ANS, he worked for over 20 years in the defense industry designing, developing, and analyzing image-based target tracking algorithms and their translation into real-time software. Dr. Moellenhoff holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Quan Nguyen, Esq. concentrates his practice in patent procurement, opinion work (patentability/validity/freedom to operate analysis), intellectual property management, as well as general counseling with particular expertise in biotechnology, chemistry, and medical devices. Prior to forming Nguyen & Tarbet (a professional law firm), Mr. Nguyen was a Partner at Chandler & Udall in Tucson and a Partner at Cozen O’Connor, a national law firm based in Philadelphia. He has in-house, industrial experience at Isis Pharmaceuticals, where he was Assistant Director of Patents.
mblake@autonomicsys.com