Israeli Researcher Develops First-Of-Its-Kind Heart Monitor Tech

March 29, 2018 | Israeli researcher Yael Zilberman-Simakov, working at the University of Waterloo in Canada, has developed a technology for heart patients that will allow them to monitor the risk of heart failure with a prick of the finger, in the same way that diabetics currently test their blood glucose levels, the Canadian Jewish News reports. The technology is a first of its kind. Patients need jab their finger, rub the blood on a special strip, and insert it into an electronic reader. The results are available within 20 minutes. A high number means elevated levels of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), which indicates someone is at risk of heart failure. Zilberman-Simakov developed the low-cost techonlogy in 18 months. Clinical trials are expected to begin in Canada, then move on to the US, Europe, and Asia. Zilberman-Simakov hopes the kit will be available sometime next year, with a portable smartphone-sized reader available for under $100.