iCardiac Technologies

iCardiac Technologies, founded in Rochester, NY, in 2006 by figures including Alex Zapesochny, emerged from over 30 years of cardiac research at the University of Rochester. The company established itself as a specialized core laboratory focused on cardiac safety and respiratory clinical trial services. Its business was centered on providing pharmaceutical companies, contract research organizations (CROs), and biotechnology firms with precise analysis of cardiac data during drug development. iCardiac served a high-profile client base, including eight of the top 10 global pharmaceutical companies.

The company's primary service involved conducting rigorous, centralized electrocardiogram (ECG) assessments to detect potential cardiac risks, particularly QT interval prolongation, a critical safety concern for new drugs. A key differentiator was its development of algorithm-driven, high-precision QT analysis methodologies. This technology offered a more cost-effective and efficient alternative to traditional, stand-alone Thorough QT (TQT) studies, enabling clients to integrate comprehensive cardiac safety assessments into early-phase clinical trials for a fraction of the cost—reportedly $150,000 to $300,000 compared to the multi-million dollar expense of a standard TQT study. This model allowed drug developers to gain earlier insights into a compound's cardiac safety profile.

In a significant strategic move, iCardiac was acquired by ERT, a global clinical trial technology and data company, in December 2017. This acquisition was part of ERT's strategy to bolster its cardiac safety division, combining iCardiac's specialized early-phase expertise with ERT's broader capabilities across the entire clinical development lifecycle. Following the acquisition, iCardiac's CEO, Alex Zapesochny, joined ERT's executive team to lead the newly expanded Cardiac Safety business unit. The journey continued when ERT merged with Bioclinica in 2020, and the combined entity was rebranded as Clario in 2021, creating one of the industry's largest endpoint technology platforms for clinical trials.

Keywords: cardiac safety, clinical trials, ECG core laboratory, QT analysis, respiratory services, drug development, pharmaceutical services, CRO services, TQT studies, endpoint technology, Alex Zapesochny, University of Rochester, ERT, Clario, Bioclinica, centralized cardiac analysis, eCOA, High Precision QT, clinical research, biopharmaceutical support