Diagnostics company MI:RNA has developed a test which it claims can detect the early signs of mitral valve disease (MMVD) in cats ands dogs with 85% sensitivity, 82% specificity and 83% overall accuracy.

The company’s NEMO Cardiac Health Screening test detects heart disease using AI to analyse microRNAs - biomarkers that manage the immune system and its responses and act as regulators for disease progression or resolution.

MI:RNA says the new test, which can be taken from blood or urine samples, will help vets diagnose and monitor disease progression more effectively and give cats and dogs with heart disease 18 months more life.

Eve Hanks, CEO and founder of MI:RNA (pictured) said: “The use of precision medicine in veterinary diagnostics will help pet owners and breeders alike to ascertain where to direct their efforts and finances accordingly.

"There is massive potential to use this technology to help breeds who have real problems with heart and other diseases, and will consequently help owners and breeders to identify affected animals more quickly.

Professor Joanna Dukes-McEwan, Head of the Cardiology Service at the University of Liverpool said: "From our cardiac investigations, we knew exactly the underlying heart disease and the severity of this, so our data was used as a training set for the MI:RNA panel analysis. 

"We have previously collected samples from dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease and are currently collecting samples from cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.  

“I think the MI:RNA panels are most useful for vets in primary care practice to identify and confirm the severity of underlying cardiac disease in their patients. 

"A simple blood test which could confirm that the cause of a heart murmur is MVD, and also indicate its severity, and whether the patient would benefit from treatment would be really helpful for primary care vets in practice. 

"They might indicate which patients may benefit from referral, or indicate when a specific treatment is indicated.

"Future research with miRNA panels may also indicate novel pathways in progression of disease which might increase our understanding of the disease, or novel therapeutic options.”

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