Now Biograph<\/a>, a preventive health and diagnostics clinic in the US, is partnering with Caristo to run the first US study of the technology in asymptomatic patients. The study will begin this month, initially open to 100 of Biograph\u2019s Black Tier members, with participants offered access to both CaRi-Heart and Caristo\u2019s FDA-cleared CaRi-Plaque platform.<\/p>\n Longevity.Technology: Moving from a plaque-first to an inflammation-first model could reshape preventive cardiology, catching risk before structural damage occurs rather than after. With the United States already home to hundreds of longevity clinics<\/a> \u2013 orders of magnitude more than Europe \u2013 the environment is primed for earlier adoption, especially among asymptomatic patients seeking proactive care. The implications extend beyond cardiology; if inflammation proves to be the common thread linking cardiovascular, metabolic and neurodegenerative conditions, then its measurement could become a cornerstone of healthspan medicine. Yet the key questions remain: how quickly can such a model move from elite clinics to routine practice, and will regulators and payers be willing to adapt pathways designed for plaque to accommodate inflammation? To find out more, we sat down with Caristo CEO Frank Cheng. <\/p>\n Cheng is clear that inflammation-first detection changes the preventive cardiology equation. \u201cCaRi-Heart clearly moves us closer to being able to intervene before irreversible plaque damage occurs, and even before plaque formation begins,\u201d he told us.<\/p>\n Cheng highlights a key difference between Europe and the US. \u201cCaRi-Heart analyzes a cardiac CT scan, and in the US, those are typically performed on patients complaining of chest pain. For those patients, we expect significant uptake of CaRi-Heart nationwide once FDA clearance is secured.\u201d But he also sees opportunity beyond symptomatic patients: \u201cOne big difference between Europe and the US is the orders of magnitude greater number of longevity clinics in the US, which serve mainly asymptomatic patients. Longevity.Technology estimated<\/a> there are over 800 longevity clinics in the US, whereas the UK has just 25 and Switzerland, which is a global hub for longevity patients, has 80. The sheer number and growth of longevity clinics here tells us that broader use of CaRi-Heart among asymptomatic patients is not an insurmountable challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n Access is already widening, Cheng says, pointing to momentum both within and beyond the longevity space. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t be surprised if Biograph\u2019s Black Tier offering for Caristo\u2019s solution expands as more of their members hear about it and want to take the test themselves,\u201d he explains. <\/p>\n \u201cClinically speaking, everyone in a longevity setting can benefit from CaRi-Heart,\u201d Cheng explains adding that tens of healthcare organizations in the UK \u2013 ranging from concierge medicine clinics to general cardiology practices and NHS trusts \u2013 already use CaRi-Heart as part of their diagnostic toolkit. <\/p>\n And Caristo\u2019s eye is on expansion. \u201cIn the US, we will soon be announcing three new customers in addition to Biograph \u2013 a second longevity clinic in the West, a large imaging center in the Midwest, and a hospital in the South,\u201d he says. \u201cAll of these customers are adopting our CaRi-Plaque solution, which received FDA clearance earlier this year, as well as using CaRi-Heart for research.\u201d<\/p>\n Cheng believes adoption will accelerate quickly once FDA clearance is secured, pointing to evidence already in place. \u201cThe 2024 study of 40,000 patients published in The Lancet<\/a> showed that the predictive power of our FAI-Score is very strong,\u201d he says, adding that CaRi-Heart can determine low, medium and high risk levels for a cardiovascular event over the next 10 years even among people with zero or minimal plaque who would normally be signed off and sent home. \u201cThat clinical confirmation is all providers need to be able to say: \u2018Great, let\u2019s start using this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Frank Cheng is the CEO of Caristo Diagnostics. <\/p>\n
The study uses cardiac CT to detect coronary inflammation and plaque in asymptomatic patients, aiming to prevent heart disease before it develops. <\/p>\n
Caristo\u2019s AI platform visualises inflammation and plaque to guide prevention. <\/p>\n