Peter Spector, M.D.

(OCTOBER 19, 2022) A Seven Days article about CoreMap, co-founded by cardiologist and Professor of Medicine Peter Spector, M.D., and led by CEO Sarah Kalil, explained how the medical technology startup uses technology Spector developed at the UVM Medical Center to search for a breakthrough in detecting the source of atrial fibrillation, or AF, and solving the long-standing challenge of providing individualized treatment for AF. A procedure called ablation, in which surgeons insert a catheter into a major blood vessel and zap the cardiac tissue that’s sending faulty signals to the rest of the heart, is currently the most effective treatment for AF. But ablations are often a shot in the dark, according to Spector, because the electrodes on today’s catheters aren’t sophisticated enough to capture the chaotic trajectory of the electrical glitches that cause AF. His technology employs a catheter tipped with tiny electrodes that can detect abnormal electrical activity and feed the data into a mapping system that generates high-resolution 3D images of the heart. With those detailed visuals, surgeons should be able to zero in on the source of an erratic rhythm, increasing the chances of a successful ablation.