Introduction
Caristo Diagnostics is an Oxford-based medical imaging company founded in 2018 as a University of Oxford spinout. The company applies artificial intelligence to coronary CT angiography, measuring coronary inflammation and plaque characteristics that conventional risk scores miss. Stephen Deitsch became chief executive officer in April 2026 per Caristo’s official appointment announcement, while co-founder Dr. Cheerag Shirodaria continues as chief development officer on the company management page reviewed in July 2026.
Caristo’s CaRi-Heart technology grew from Fat Attenuation Index research developed at Oxford — a non-invasive biomarker of arterial inflammation extractable from standard CCTA rather than requiring additional imaging protocols or invasive catheterization.
What the company does
Caristo analyzes coronary CT angiography using AI models trained on inflammation and plaque biology. CaRi-Heart quantifies coronary inflammation and produces individualized risk scores Caristo positions as predicting fatal heart attacks up to ten years before events — a claim grounded in landmark British Heart Foundation-funded validation studies Caristo cites in product materials. CaRi-Plaque extends analysis to plaque burden and morphology, with January 2026 announcements of nationwide Aetna coverage alongside other major U.S. insurers.
The platform integrates into existing cardiac CT workflows: radiology departments already acquiring CCTA for chest pain or screening can send studies for cloud or onsite analysis without new scanner hardware, lowering adoption friction versus standalone calcium scoring programs.
Who it serves
Caristo serves NHS trusts — the company cites deployment across 15 NHS trusts in the UK — private cardiology clinics including Central Sydney Cardiology partnerships announced November 2025, preventive health screening operators, and U.S. payers evaluating AI-enhanced cardiac imaging for population risk stratification. Pharmaceutical and clinical trial teams use Caristo analysis for patient selection in cardiovascular outcome studies.
Cardiologists evaluating Caristo typically measure incremental risk reclassification beyond QRISK and ASCVD scores, workflow fit with existing CCTA reporting, and payer reimbursement pathways for AI-augmented cardiac CT reads.
Company background
Caristo emerged from Oxford research led by co-founders including Professor Charalambos Antoniades (chief scientific officer), Professor Keith Channon (chief medical officer), Professor Stefan Neubauer (chief translational officer), and Dr. Cheerag Shirodaria, a cardiologist at Oxford University Hospitals who co-developed Fat Attenuation Index methodology. Shirodaria served as the public CEO face in earlier Caristo materials; the April 2026 Deitsch appointment brings medtech commercial leadership with 25 years of experience while preserving founder scientific leadership across CSO, CMO, and CDO roles.
June 2026 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer selection signals Caristo’s positioning as cardiovascular prevention infrastructure rather than a single-algorithm research project.
Product and AI capabilities
Caristo’s AI extracts attenuation patterns from perivascular fat surrounding coronary arteries on CCTA — translating subtle imaging signals into inflammation scores validated against histology and outcome data in Oxford-led research programs. CaRi-Plaque adds plaque quantification and morphology analysis, creating a multi-layer cardiac CT intelligence stack from one acquisition.
Unlike general radiology triage AI, Caristo models are disease-specific to atherosclerotic inflammation biology — requiring cardiology-specific validation endpoints and payer medical policy review distinct from chest X-ray CADe clearance pathways.
Key developments
2018: Caristo Diagnostics founded as Oxford spinout. 2025–2026: CaRi-Heart deployed across 15 NHS trusts; Central Sydney Cardiology partnership November 2025. January 2026: Aetna nationwide coverage for CaRi-Plaque. April 14, 2026: Stephen Deitsch appointed CEO (caristo.com, official source). June 2026: World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer selection.
Why it matters
Caristo matters because cardiovascular disease remains the world’s leading killer while preventive cardiology still relies heavily on age, cholesterol, and diabetes in risk calculators Shirodaria has criticized as outdated. AI inflammation scoring from existing CCTA gives health systems a path to reclassify intermediate-risk patients without new imaging infrastructure — a different value proposition than Ultromics echocardiography AI or Optellum lung nodule software.
Sector context
Caristo belongs in Brel’s AI in healthcare coverage under medical imaging and cardiovascular AI, related to Ultromics for cardiac ultrasound and Optellum for thoracic CT. NHS and U.S. payer coverage milestones make Caristo a reference for health-system AI business cases tied to prevention rather than acute triage alone.
Sources and references
Caristo CEO appointment (April 14, 2026) and management team page.
- Caristo — Stephen Deitsch CEO appointment (caristo.com, April 2026)
- Caristo — Management team (caristo.com)
Reviewed July 10, 2026. Stephen Deitsch is CEO; Cheerag Shirodaria is co-founder and CDO.