Bloomer Tech, a healthcare technology company based in Boston, has been granted $1.9 million by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for a clinical study aimed at improving women’s cardiovascular health. This funding will support a randomized clinical trial for Bloomer Tech’s Tech-Augmented Garment (TAG), which integrates patented textile-based sensor technology to gather medical-grade data from women’s physiology.
The award represents a significant step for Bloomer Tech in obtaining its first Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), highlighting the company’s potential in commercializing their innovative solutions. The TAG, which maintains the appearance and comfort of a conventional bra, is at the forefront of this clinical study.
The study will be conducted in collaboration with UF Health and Lakeland Regional Health and will involve the enrollment of female patients for Cardiac Rehab (CR) adherence measurement. Distinguished cardiologist Dr. Carl J. Pepine, with his extensive research in cardiology and sex-differences, is one of the Co-Principal Investigators. Dr. Andrew A. Bugajski, who is known for his work using AI and machine learning in rehabilitation, will also serve as a Co-Principal Investigator at Lakeland Regional Health.
The clinical trial’s focus is to address the low participation rates of women in CR programs, despite their proven effectiveness in post-myocardial infarction recovery, heart failure treatment, and other cardiac conditions. Bloomer Tech’s TAG aims to improve patient experience in CR through a personalized, data-driven approach.
Bloomer Tech also received recent recognition as one of the World Economic Forum’s Technology Pioneers, distinguishing the company amongst numerous candidates for its technological contributions.
The company is committed to enhancing women’s cardiovascular care by developing and utilizing digital biomarkers and innovative sensor technologies that account for sex and ethnicity-related differences in the cardiovascular system. Their efforts are geared towards creating personalized diagnostics and targeting conditions that disproportionately, differently, or uniquely affect women.
