Hughes Hall honours Chausiaux as Heartfelt Technologies eyes global expansion
Her company, Heartfelt Technologies, has just started a 200+ patient trial in the UK and hopes to have positive news in the US in the near future. Its novel treatment approach certainly bodes well for global expansion and is said to have the potential to help millions of heart failure sufferers worldwide.
The Hughes Hall celebration included the unveiling of a purple plaque in her honour on the college site. Purple plaques recognise the achievements of ‘Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award’ winners.
Dr Chausiaux is part of a network of women developing innovative solutions to pressing societal, environmental and economic challenges. Exemplars in the East of England are working on diverse projects that range from creating affordable cell therapies for cancer to transforming mental health support for children, improving farming practices and developing self-monitoring concrete.
Dr Chausiaux and her team at Heartfelt Technologies in Cambridge aim to enhance the heart failure care of millions of patients globally. Despite the effectiveness of medication, around 75 per cent of hospitalisations are said to be avoidable.
Discussions with a cardiologist from Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust highlighted to Dr Chausiaux and her co-founder Dr Shamus Husheer that the issue lies not in the medication but in the treatment approach.
Dr Chausiaux said: “The current standard care may seem easy to follow with daily weighing and symptom monitoring. However, many patients who suffer from heart failure also have other co-morbidities and often feel overwhelmed by the numerous medications and self-checks required daily.
“Those unable to reliably follow this advice often suffer regular hospital readmissions, significantly impacting patients and their families. Preventing these hospitalisations would improve patients’ lives, save money for the NHS, and free up hospital beds.
“As innovators, we must design solutions for the patients we have, not the patients we wish we had. This is why my team and I have been focused on creating solutions for this specific group of patients.
“This is an exciting time for the company as we commence a clinical trial in the NHS, exploring how best to integrate our solution with the NHS system. We are collaborating with cardiology teams in West Suffolk and Croydon, as well as GPs and pharmacies in Hull and Cambridge.
“And we will shortly start the preparations for a US-based trial, which will be the start of our international expansion strategy.”
The Innovate UK award expanded on the Heartfelt device innovation, which monitors patients with heart failure in their homes continuously, without any patient interaction. Using AI, this non-contact telemonitoring solution can give an average of 13 days advance warning of hospitalisation or heart health worsening; sufficient time for a patient to seek medical attention and hopefully make a course correction.
Dr Chausiaux came to the UK in 2003 as part of an Erasmus exchange programme during her Master’s from Sorbonne Université in Paris. She spent a few months in Cambridge in the Department of Pathology, studying Molecular Genetics in the lab of Professor Nabeel Affara with Senior Research Associate Dr Carole Sargent and later pursued her PhD in the same lab. Both attended her Purple Plaque ceremony.
Sir Laurie Bristow, President of Hughes Hall, said: This is a particularly poignant event for Hughes Hall and we were delighted to welcome Oriane and display the plaque in her honour.
“This award, and indeed Oriane herself, embody the values of innovation and impact at the centre of our college. “With a long history of educating women, and latterly men, to enable them to inspire others, change lives, and make the world a better place, it is wonderful to welcome back Oriane who, around 140 years since we were founded, has done just that.”
Dr Chausiaux has benefited from the mentorship of several inspiring women, including Hanadi Jabado, former Director of Enterprise at Cambridge Judge Business School and now Deputy Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, and Dr Catherine Beech who is CEO of Exonate, who provided valuable advice as Dr Chausiaux transitioned from a PhD student to a start-up founder.
As part of the Innovate UK award, Sarah Bruce-White, IUK Business Growth, mentored the team to scale up their business and bring their pioneering innovations to market.
Hanadi Jabado said: “Oriane is a model of resilience, strength and resolve. I am a great believer that ‘If you can see it, you can be it.’ We need more women like Oriane to be seen in order to inspire the next wave and the next generation of women scientists and entrepreneurs.
“She is an impressive serial entrepreneur and I am delighted her work has been recognised this way for generations to come to follow in her steps.”
Dr Chausiaux’s journey has been significantly supported by notable investors, including Cambridge Angels, Cambridge Capital and O2H Ventures. Dr Jonathan Milner, former CEO of Abcam and chairperson of Dr Chausiaux’s first company, provided crucial advice to her and co-founders in the early years.
Dr Eddie Powell, the first chairman of Heartfelt Technologies, supported and guided the company through its initial seven years when developing the first
generations of devices and taking them through early clinical trials and CE marking.
He has passed the baton to James Viggers, who will help steer the company through its next phase, including US expansion. James says: “Heartfelt Technologies is on a vitally important journey to help millions of heart failure patients live better lives.
“None of this would be possible without Oriane’s hugely impressive leadership, energy and perseverance. I am utterly delighted she is being honoured in this way.”
Pam Garside, Chair of Cambridge Angels added: “We are extremely proud at Cambridge Angels that Oriane Chausiaux is the founder of one of our portfolio companies. It is always great to see women founders doing so well and she is a deserving recipient of the Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award.”
