Voice Biomarkers for Heart Failure: exciting interim results unveiled in collaboration project UNISONO

During the workshop on October 17, 2023, in Berlin, an entirely positive interim assessment was drawn for the UNISONO project. After the first of the three years of the project, all three project partners, Zana Technologies, cosinuss°, and the University Hospital Würzburg (UKW), successfully showcased achieved milestones. Groundbreaking decisions for the further progress of the project were also made. The goal of the project is to develop a novel sensor system, which leverages vital signs measurements with AI-supported voice analysis for a timely and non-invasive detection of decompensation in heart failure patients.

AHF-Voice Study Proceeding Successfully

The UKW is ahead of schedule with the Acute Heart Failure (AHF)-Voice Study, which serves to create a voice database within the project. Out of the planned 123 study participants, 66 have already been successfully recruited, significantly exceeding the scheduled 50 participants for October 2023. The compliance of the already recruited patients is satisfactory.

Promising Interim Results in Voice Biomarkers and Digital Phenotyping

With the aim of using the voice recordings of patients to determine their health status, Zana is concurrently developing two analysis methods: the classification of EF values (EF=Ejection Fraction: an indicator of the pumping power of the heart) and clustering. Both methods have yielded promising initial results, which have been submitted for presentation at scientific conferences.

In addition to presenting the interim results, the focus was also on detailed planning of the next steps in both classification and cluster analysis.

In-Ear Sensor Expanded with Microphone

The c-med° alpha, developed by cosinuss° and certified as a Class IIa medical device, is being expanded with an integrated microphone for the UNISONO project. The hardware development of this adapted sensor has been successfully completed, and an initial functional prototype was already presented during the workshop. The next step, the adaptation of the firmware, is currently in progress.

As a retrospective on the first year of the UNISONO project and as planning for the remaining duration, the workshop was a resounding success.