Avertto, an Israeli biotech company, has its sights set on revolutionizing stroke prevention.

The company’s technology — essentially a pair of small pressure sensors resting on (or in) the neck — detects changes in pulse within the carotid arteries. 

The system uses artificial intelligence and deep learning technology to detect subtle changes in the patient’s pulse, which could indicate obstructions in the vessels, and thereby serve as an early signal for a brain stroke. 

The device sends an alert, facilitating swift treatment within the “golden hour” that could avert severe stroke-related disability.

While other firms have dabbled in using AI to detect early stroke signs, Avertto’s combination of hardware and software gives it a potential leg up in the market as the first medical device with an AI alert of an impending stroke based on biological mimicry.

The company cites studies indicating that more than 80 percent of strokes are preventable.

CEO Hilla Ben-Pazi, a neurologist who formerly founded Israel’s first tele-neurology company, explains that one of Avertto’s primary goals is getting continuous brain monitoring added into the standard suite of monitors found in any intensive care unit (ICU).

“With ICU monitoring today, we monitor our hearts with ECG and blood pressure and a variety of parameters. And when it comes to the brain, we do nothing,” she says. 

“We have to change the concept. We need to look at the brain with continuous autonomic monitoring in the same way that we look at the heart if we want to really change the disability map.”

Early intervention

To that end, Avertto’s sensors are designed for eventual implantation under the skin, a feature critical for continuous monitoring and early intervention. 

The idea of implanting a monitor in the neck is still something of an uphill climb in regard to marketing, though, so the company is simultaneously developing an external device that can be used to similar effect.

Despite being a relatively young company founded in 2019, Avertto has made significant strides. The company is seeking FDA approval after having secured $2 million in grants and started seed-round fundraising.

Avertto has established collaboration with seven global clinical sites, and recently demonstrated its potential in blind studies conducted in Israel at Sheba Medical Center and Shaare Zedek, where the algorithm and sensor technology accurately identified vascular changes without prior knowledge of patient conditions. 

‘Unless we close, we deliver’

Things haven’t been universally positive for the company, though. 

Ben-Pazi notes that due to current war-related circumstances, Avertto has had difficulty in securing additional investments, and recently downsized to three people from its initial team of 12, hiring subcontractors for additional help.

“We were very affected by October 7, because of the difficulty to bring in investments,” she explains. Yet despite the setback, the company hasn’t slowed down in advancing toward its goals.

“I think what is amazing about Israeli companies — and I see it with Avertto — is that we deliver. Unless we close down, we deliver,” she continues.

“The fact that we are doing the clinical studies no matter what, and we’re succeeding with them despite the situation — it’s not trivial. And I think it’s thanks to the mantra that Israeli startups have: to deliver no matter what.”