EXCMR, Ltd. Exercise stress Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging

EXCMR, Ltd. is a Columbus-based company formed in 2007 for the purpose of creating a more effective method of detecting heart disease.

The four individuals that make up the initial ownership/management team of EXCMR are the co-inventors of both the MRI compatible treadmill and the exercise stress cardiac MRI process; these technologies are developed and currently in clinical trial at The Ohio State University.

EXCMR, Ltd. was recently awarded $1,424,694 by the Ohio Third Frontier Medical Imaging Program (TFMIP) for its In-State Multi-Center Evaluation of Treadmill Exercise Stress Cardiac Magnetic Resonance project. The funding was matched by collaborative cost share partners and will support clinical testing and refinement of technology for improving cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging under stress conditions.

EXCMR is a 2008 TechColumbus Innovation Award recipient for outstanding start-up business. “The validation and exposure that this honor provided was an immeasurable help to EXCMR,” explained Foster.

Located at the TechColumbus incubator in Columbus, and operating within the TechStart program, EXCMR has been able to take advantage of the many advisory resources available through TechColumbus. “TechColumbus has been an invaluable resource to us,” said Eric Foster, C.O.O. of EXCMR. “They have provided us with a wealth of knowledge and helped us connect with financial resources.”

EXCMR’s core technology is based on a non-ferromagnetic treadmill and cardiac data collection system which enables placement of the patient immediately adjacent to an MRI machine during exercise stress. MRI technology does not permit co-location of a traditional treadmill in the same room with an MRI machine due to the ferromagnetic parts in a treadmill. The MRI machine is essentially a huge magnet.

Co-locating the treadmill and MRI machine provides more accurate diagnosis because the heart can be imaged at higher heart rates where cardiac abnormalities typically develop; this is also a more effective alternative to drug induced testing since exercise stress reproduces the symptoms which brought the patient into the doctor’s office.

Foster became intrigued by the possibilities of this new technology as a mechanical engineering graduate student at The Ohio State University in 2006. This led to his participation in the invention of the new MRI technology and a partnership in EXCMR, in 2007, which was formed to test and sell it.

“It is exciting to be in the field of engineering for medical devices and to have the potential to make a difference,” said Foster.

EXCMR has a working prototype currently in clinical trial with patients at The Ohio State University Medical Center. They are working with a local industrial design firm to develop the commercial treadmill model.