New startup Lexington Biosciences exclusively licensed the Berkeley Lab Enegevity Cuff, a technology to dramatically advance the testing and monitoring of cardiovascular health. The device, developed by Berkeley Lab’s Jonathan S. Maltz, Ph.D., measures arterial lining health to assess plaque buildup and atherosclerosis quickly and easily, outside a clinical setting. A Berkeley Lab Innovation Grant enabled Maltz to advance the invention by funding construction of a prototype cuff and clinical testing to prove the device’s superior sensitivity compared to ultrasound results. Lexington Biosciences will further refine the Enegevity Cuff design, complete clinical testing, and initiate the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process as quickly as practical.
Cardiovascular disease and stroke are the number one causes of death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Early assessment and monitoring of blood vessel health to inform preventative care and lifestyle modification is an important step towards reducing heart disease risk. Routine blood pressure and cholesterol testing do not evaluate arterial lining health. Yet plaque deposits breaking away from inner artery walls, ultimately blocking blood flow downstream, kill more people than all cancers combined. The automated Enegevity Cuff is compact and easy to use, expanding the availability of this important cardiovascular testing to physician’s offices, even patient’s homes.