Heart disease is still the most common cause of death around the world, and it typically strikes without warning. However, advancements in technology may make it possible to find it earlier, before symptoms show up.
Cleerly, a health technology company, is using AI to support this goal. Through the use of FDA-cleared AI algorithms and more than 17 years of cardiovascular research, Cleerly assists healthcare professionals and patients in identifying heart disease in its early, more manageable phases.
In this article, we’ll discuss how Cleerly’s AI tools are applied in heart care, who may benefit from them, and how this shift from reactive to proactive approaches is influencing the way that heart disease is identified in the future.
The Mission Behind The Cleerly Company
Cleerly focuses on using data and technological clarity in addressing heart-related issues. Its mission is to assist people in preventing heart attacks by more accurately and early detecting coronary artery disease (CAD).
After more than 17 years of clinical research and trials in cardiovascular imaging, Cleerly was founded by board-certified cardiologist Dr. James K. Min, who used to teach Radiology and Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. The aim was to address a major issue with the way heart disease is typically identified. Methods focused only on symptoms and risk factors instead of the disease itself, which is atherosclerosis.
Cleerly’s AI facilitates the detection and assessment of plaque in coronary arteries, which allows healthcare providers to take action before symptoms appear.
The Cleerly approach is rooted in prevention. The platform uses non-invasive imaging and FDA-cleared algorithms to provide a personalized perspective of heart health. Its programs are based on data from over 30,000 patients and more than 10 million images. It looks at all kinds of plaque, even the soft, high-risk ones that are most prone to rupture and cause heart attacks.
The goal is to equip medical professionals and patients with decision-making tools to improve early detection and management of coronary artery disease.
Cleerly’s Products and Services for Personalized Heart Care
Cleerly offers products and services to address every aspect of heart care. Cleerly’s AI-supported technologies allow doctors and patients to understand the current state of their heart health, keep track of their progress over time, and make better choices to prevent heart attacks before they happen.
AI-Enabled Coronary CTA Analysis
Cleerly’s technology creates detailed evaluations and 3D digital models of coronary arteries by analyzing coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) scans using FDA-cleared machine learning techniques. This makes it possible for:
- Identification of plaque volume and types (soft, non-calcified, and calcified)
- Assessment of stenosis severity (narrowing of the arteries)
- Estimation of ischemia likelihood (reduced blood flow to the heart)
Compared to traditional readings, these insights offer more thorough information, enabling earlier and more accurate assessments.
Cleerly ISCHEMIA: Non-Invasive, Vessel-Level Risk Prediction
Using non-invasive approaches, Cleerly ISCHEMIA predicts the likelihood of reduced blood flow in specific arteries, providing vessel-level information that could help with care planning, including medication, lifestyle modifications, or procedures like stenting.
Patients and healthcare professionals can use this tool to discuss specific preventative strategies and detect problems.
Cleerly COMPARE: Tracking Disease Over Time
Heart disease is a long-term problem, and Cleerly COMPARE lets medical professionals keep track of how it gets worse. This technology shows changes in plaque burden by comparing scans over time, which gives visible evidence of whether a plan of care is working. This helps providers alter strategies based on whether plaque is getting worse or better.
How Cleerly Differs from a Coronary Calcium Score
Early detection is very important for heart health. That’s where tests like the coronary calcium score and Cleerly’s analysis come in. Both tests look for risk of coronary artery disease, but they do so in very different ways.
| Feature | Coronary Calcium Score | Cleerly |
|---|---|---|
| Detects calcified plaque | ✅ | ✅ |
| Detects soft plaque | ❌ | ✅ |
| Differentiates high vs. low-risk plaque | ❌ | ✅ |
| Provides 3D visualization | ❌ | ✅ |
| Offers therapeutic guidance | ❌ | ✅ |
What a Coronary Calcium Score Measures
A coronary calcium scan, also known as a coronary artery calcium (CAC) test, is a special type of CT scan that searches for calcium deposits in the arteries of the heart. These hardened plaques are a marker of atherosclerosis and can assist in figuring out how likely you are to have a heart attack or stroke in the long term.
But the test can only detect calcified plaque, which means it can miss milder kinds of plaque that haven’t hardened yet but could still be dangerous. Even a calcium score of zero can be misleading; it only confirms the absence of hardened plaque, not that you are completely free of it.
What Cleerly Measures
Cleerly uses advanced AI to interpret coronary CT angiography (CCTA), which draws on the strengths of cardiac imaging. Cleery detects many kinds of plaque, including high-risk soft plaque that hasn’t yet calcified but may rupture.
It also tells the difference between high-risk and low-risk plaques, which is important information for doctors that goes beyond regular screening. This is crucial because plaques that only cause minor narrowing are responsible for more than 75% of heart attacks, and regular calcium scans might not be able to detect them.
Cleerly gives you a thorough, 3D map of your coronary arteries and quantifies the total volume and type of plaque present. You’ll get a clear, 3D picture of your coronary arteries that shows not just if there is plaque there, but also what kind it is and how it might harm your heart. Based on each patient’s unique plaque profile, Cleerly may help medical professionals personalize therapy and monitoring plans.
When Each Test May Be Appropriate
Calcium scoring is still a helpful way to evaluate people, especially those who are symptom-free and at moderate risk. However, Clearly provides a more thorough assessment of coronary artery health when more specific information is required, such as assessing the overall plaque burden or tracking changes over time.
Who May Benefit from Cleerly
Heart disease may affect every individual, regardless of perceived risk. Individuals interested in proactive heart health evaluation, whether they have pre-existing risk factors or simply want to understand their cardiovascular health, may benefit from Cleerly’s technology.
For People Concerned About Heart Health
More than half of heart attacks happen without any warning signs. Life-threatening heart attacks still happen to a lot of people who are considered “low-risk.” Cleerly lets you look into your arteries to find early indicators of heart disease, even before you have any symptoms. This can help you make smarter choices now.
Especially Helpful If You Have Risk Factors
A Cleerly heart scan may help if you:
- Have a history of heart disease in your family
- Have diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure
- Have smoked or still smoke
- Have a primarily sedentary lifestyle
- Just want to know how healthy your heart is
What Cleerly Can Show You
Cleerly uses advanced imaging and AI to generate a personalized 3D map of your heart’s arteries. You can do the following with that scan:
- Find out where plaque is building up in your arteries
- Find out your real risk of having a heart attack, not just an estimate based on your age or blood test
- Keep track of how therapies or adjustments in your lifestyle are helping over time
Empowering You with Clarity
Having clear knowledge about the state of your arteries can ease anxiety and facilitate well-informed discussions with your healthcare provider. Together with your care team, Cleerly’s evaluations may help you make decisions regarding your heart health and determine the best course of action for the future.
The Role of Cleerly: Research and Clinical Application
More than 40,000 patient cases in trials and more than 10 million heart imaging analyses served as the foundation for Cleerly’s development. Its AI technology has shown comparable performance to existing methods while providing a non-invasive evaluation method.
In clinical environments, Cleerly has:
Lessened the need for unnecessary and invasive tests- Increased diagnostic confidence among medical professionals
- Used risk-specific information to help provide individualized care
- Improved patient compliance by giving them clear, visual information
- Effectively identified plaque long before symptoms start
These results, which are supported by peer-reviewed publications and trials, such as the CERTAIN trial published in the European Heart Journal Cardiovascular Imaging in 2024 [1], show the beneficial effects of Cleerly’s technology in both the management and prevention of heart problems.
Conclusion
With its emphasis on prevention and early identification of heart problems, Cleerly represents a shift toward proactive heart health management. By integrating data from comprehensive cardiovascular research with FDA-cleared AI technology, Cleerly provides approaches that may assist patients and healthcare providers in identifying risks before symptoms appear.
As heart disease continues to have a global impact, Cleerly’s approach highlights how technology and research may help to provide informed, preventive heart care.
