Ending heart disease with Star Trek: The Roddenberry Foundation Awards $1 Million Prize to AI company iCardio.ai

The Roddenberry Foundation is building the medically-advanced future Star Trek envisioned

LOS ANGELES, March 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Roddenberry Foundation has named iCardio.ai, a cutting-edge health tech startup, the winner of its $1 million Roddenberry Prize for their groundbreaking work using artificial intelligence (AI) to transform heart health diagnosis and prevent heart disease, the leading cause of death worldwide.

In Star Trek, most cardiac deaths occur due to physical injuries rather than health-related problems, according to a 2014 research study by the Medical University of Vienna. The study's analysis of 526 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager attributed survival to the tricorder, a fictional medical scanner that helps doctors diagnose and treat medical problems.

As with famine and poverty, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry envisioned a future where heart disease is a thing of the past. Now, his family is funding what may become a real-life version of the Star Trek tricorder. The Roddenberry Prize supports groundbreaking ventures that have the potential to profoundly impact the world and would allow more people to "live long and prosper."

This year, the prize recognizes iCardio.ai for its transformative potential to improve heart health outcomes for millions globally. iCardio.ai's AI-powered platform automates the interpretation of cardiac ultrasounds, providing real-time analysis of heart health and detecting structural heart disease with unprecedented accuracy.

"iCardio.ai's groundbreaking technology has the potential to save millions of lives, making it a well-deserved recipient of the Roddenberry Prize," said Rod Roddenberry, foundation board member and son of Gene Roddenberry. "We're inspired by Star Trek to boldly go towards a future where today's diseases are easily detectable and preventable, and it's an honor to continue my father's legacy by supporting medical advancements that will make this future a reality."

Founded by a visionary team of healthcare professionals, iCardio.ai combines sophisticated machine learning algorithms with one of the largest organized datasets of echocardiograms in the world. Their technology could significantly improve the speed and accuracy of cardiovascular diagnosis, empowering healthcare providers to make timely interventions and prevent life-threatening conditions. The prize comes at a pivotal moment for scientific exploration into the capabilities of AI to revolutionize healthcare.

iCardio.ai could be particularly useful in low-resource settings, where access to regular, in-depth heart healthcare is often limited. By providing scalable, AI-driven solutions, iCardio.ai is poised to democratize access to quality healthcare across the globe.

"We are honored to receive the Roddenberry Prize," said Joseph Sokol, co-founder and CEO of iCardio.ai. "This award will enable us to scale our technology to reach more people, particularly those in regions where cardiovascular care is lacking. Our goal is to empower clinicians with knowledge about their patient and, ultimately, drive higher quality care in patients suffering from cardiovascular disease."

Alongside winner iCardio.ai, Roddenberry Prize finalist Noetik has received a $250,000 grant to accelerate its work in cancer immunotherapy. Noetik's innovative AI platform generates precision therapies by utilizing advanced machine learning to predict and develop individualized cancer treatments. Their approach has the potential to dramatically improve the effectiveness of immunotherapies for cancer patients worldwide.

About the Roddenberry Prize
The Roddenberry Prize, the flagship initiative of The Roddenberry Foundation, is awarded bi-annually to breakthrough science and technology ventures creating positive, lasting change. With this year's focus on AI for good, the Prize supports organizations that are using artificial intelligence and related technologies to tackle some of the world's most urgent challenges, from healthcare to environmental sustainability. Through this $1 million grant, the Roddenberry Foundation aims to catalyze breakthrough solutions that make a meaningful impact on society. For more information please contact us at [email protected]

About iCardio.ai
iCardio.ai is a Los Angeles-based company that develops machine learning and deep learning algorithms for the analysis of ultrasound applications, with a specific focus on echocardiography (ultrasound of the heart). The company's mission is to revolutionize the way heart disease is detected and treated, improving outcomes for millions of individuals around the world. By providing accessible, accurate, and automated interpretation of cardiac imaging, iCardio.ai is democratizing quality cardiovascular health across the world.

SOURCE THE RODDENBERRY FOUNDATION