CHELMSFORD, Mass. & TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ZOLL® Medical Corporation, an Asahi Kasei Group company that manufactures medical devices and related software solutions, and Myant, Inc., a high-tech advanced manufacturing company that is pioneering the application of technology and soft electronics into textiles, today announced that they have entered an exclusive strategic multi-year agreement to jointly develop technologies that will be leveraged in future generations of the ZOLL LifeVest® wearable defibrillator. The LifeVest is worn by patients at risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD), providing protection during their changing condition and while permanent SCD risk has not been established.
“This collaboration with Myant aligns with ZOLL’s longstanding commitment to research and development with the goal of improving patient outcomes,” commented Jason T. Whiting, President of ZOLL LifeVest. “We are excited to combine efforts with Myant and leverage their strong R&D capabilities, advanced manufacturing, and broad research capabilities from its Centers for Excellence in Canada and the US.”
“We are very proud of this exclusive agreement between Myant and ZOLL because it represents a collaboration between two companies taking a multidisciplinary approach to advance technologies for future generations of wearable defibrillators,” commented Tony Chahine, CEO and Founder of Myant. “We are blending the benefits of advancements in materials science, state-of-the art machines, yarn with nanotechnology, and advanced manufacturing. It is an honor to work with ZOLL, an extremely respected company and provider of FDA-approved, lifesaving medical devices.”
The LifeVest was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2001. Since that time, the LifeVest has been worn by hundreds of thousands of patients globally and has saved thousands of patients’ lives. Recommended use of the wearable defibrillator is included in the 2017 American Heart Association (AHA)/American College of Cardiology (ACC)/Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) Guideline for Management of Patients with Ventricular Arrhythmias and the Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death.
The LifeVest is used for a wide range of patient conditions or situations, including following a myocardial infarction, before or after coronary revascularization, and for those with cardiomyopathy or congestive heart failure that places them at particular risk. The LifeVest allows patients to return to their common activities of daily living, while having the peace of mind that they are protected from SCD. The LifeVest continuously monitors the patient’s heart and, if a life-threatening heart rhythm is detected, the device delivers a treatment shock to restore normal heart rhythm.
Myant’s approach to product innovation starts from molecule to garment, textile to comfort. The company focuses on advancing human connectedness to the Internet of Things. Myant is establishing the world's leading innovation hub for designing, developing, and producing connected textile-based products. It will lead the creation of Canadian and American university-affiliated textile technology Centers for Excellence to connect industry to innovation. These centers will provide state-of-the-art, end-to-end production facilities; offer access to machines, tools, and expertise; develop new curriculum and gold standards; and facilitate the making of ideas to promote true transformational change.
About Myant
Founded in 2010, Myant employs an
interdisciplinary team of over 80 people who are creating the world's
first computing textile platform that senses, records, analyses and
responds, and ambiently interfaces with humans and artificial
intelligence (AI) through textiles. SKIIN is Myant's proprietary brand
of smart apparel to be launched in 2018. Myant's 80,000 sq. ft. facility
in Toronto, Canada, is an end-to-end textile supply chain with a
state-of-the-art 3D digital fabrication and robotic knitting division, a
printed electronic lab, a traditional cut and sew operation, and
significant proprietary technologies. In addition, Myant has strategic
relationships with the world's top knitting machine manufacturers and
yarn makers, as well as other industry suppliers. Myant's mission is to
create a digital human presence through a textile ambient interface to
connect every human being to self, others, and AI. For more information
about Myant, or SKIIN, please visit: Myant.ca
or SKIIN.com.
About ZOLL Medical Corporation
ZOLL Medical Corporation, an
Asahi Kasei Group Company, develops and markets medical devices and
software solutions that help advance emergency care and save lives,
while increasing clinical and operational efficiencies. With products
for defibrillation and monitoring, circulation and CPR feedback, data
management, therapeutic temperature management, and ventilation, ZOLL
provides a comprehensive set of technologies that help clinicians, EMS
and fire professionals, and lay rescuers treat victims needing
resuscitation and acute critical care. For more information, visit www.zoll.com.
About Asahi Kasei
The Asahi Kasei Group is a diversified
group of companies led by holding company Asahi Kasei Corp., with
operations in the material, homes, and health care business sectors. Its
health care operations include devices and systems for acute critical
care, dialysis, therapeutic apheresis, transfusion, and manufacture of
biotherapeutics, as well as pharmaceuticals and diagnostic reagents.
With more than 30,000 employees around the world, the Asahi Kasei Group
serves customers in more than 100 countries. For more information, visit www.asahi-kasei.co.jp/asahi/en/.
Copyright © 2017 ZOLL Medical Corporation. All rights reserved. LifeVest and ZOLL are trademarks or registered trademarks of ZOLL Medical Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Asahi Kasei is a registered trademark of Asahi Kasei Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
