Overview
Dr. Cheerag Shirodaria is co-founder and chief development officer of Caristo Diagnostics, an Oxford-based medical imaging company founded in 2018 as a University of Oxford spinout. Caristo’s management page lists Shirodaria alongside CEO Stephen Deitsch, CSO Professor Charalambos Antoniades, CMO Professor Keith Channon, and CTO Professor Stefan Neubauer.
Caristo applies artificial intelligence to coronary CT angiography, measuring coronary inflammation and plaque characteristics that conventional risk scores miss — technology rooted in Fat Attenuation Index research developed at Oxford.
Role and company
As Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer, Shirodaria leads development strategy for Caristo’s CaRi-Heart and related cardiovascular AI products. Stephen Deitsch became chief executive officer in April 2026 per Caristo appointment announcements, while Shirodaria continues in the CDO role on the management page reviewed July 2026.
Caristo was selected as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer and announced Aetna coverage for CaRi-Plaque in January 2026 per company news materials.
Background and career context
Caristo’s management page identifies Shirodaria as co-founder and chief development officer. Company materials describe the founding team as Oxford researchers who co-developed Fat Attenuation Index methodology — a non-invasive biomarker of arterial inflammation extractable from standard coronary CT angiography.
Shirodaria’s cardiologist background at Oxford University Hospitals shaped Caristo’s clinical development pathway from academic publication to payer-covered commercial service.
Company-building or leadership context
Shirodaria co-founded Caristo in 2018 alongside Professors Antoniades, Channon, and Neubauer who hold CSO, CMO, and chief translational officer roles respectively. The April 2026 CEO appointment of Stephen Deitsch brings medtech commercial leadership while preserving founder scientific leadership across CSO, CMO, and CDO functions.
Caristo’s Oxford spinout structure gives the company academic credibility in cardiovascular prevention — a category where payer coverage decisions require robust clinical evidence.
Public milestones
2018: Caristo Diagnostics founded as University of Oxford spinout. April 2026: Stephen Deitsch appointed CEO; Shirodaria continues as co-founder and CDO per management page. 2026: World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer selection and Aetna CaRi-Plaque coverage announced January 2026 per company news.
Shirodaria is listed Co-founder and Chief Development Officer on caristo.com/caristo-management/ reviewed July 10, 2026.
Why their work matters
Caristo under Shirodaria’s development leadership tests whether coronary CT AI can move from research biomarker to reimbursed preventive service — Aetna coverage being a concrete payer milestone. Inflammation measurement from standard CCTA could shift cardiovascular prevention earlier than stress testing or invasive angiography pathways allow.
For healthcare AI readers, Caristo competes with plaque quantification vendors like Cleerly but emphasizes inflammatory signal from attenuation analysis — a distinct scientific thesis.
Sources and references
Primary sourcing: Caristo management page, reviewed July 10, 2026.
- Caristo — Management (caristo.com)
Co-founder CDO title from official management page. CEO transition from Caristo news releases cross-referenced.
Caristo management page lists Professor Charalambos Antoniades as co-founder and chief scientific officer, Professor Keith Channon as co-founder and chief medical officer, and Professor Stefan Neubauer as co-founder and chief translational officer alongside Shirodaria — an academic founding coalition that preserves Oxford research credibility through commercial leadership transitions including Stephen Deitsch’s April 2026 CEO appointment.
Caristo’s CaRi-Heart technology measuring coronary inflammation from standard CCTA gives cardiologists actionable risk data without additional imaging protocols — a workflow advantage Shirodaria’s CDO role protects as the company pursues payer coverage including Aetna CaRi-Plaque announced January 2026.