NFL Alumni Joel Dreessen and Le-Lo Lang Team Up With HeartFlow and Boone Heart Institute to Launch GAMEFILM Registry to Assess Heart Disease Risks in Retired Football Players
Registry will use HeartFlow FFRCT and Plaque Analysis to help inform strategies for prevention, earlier detection and improved care for former NFL athletes at high risk for coronary artery disease
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. and GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — Jan. 22, 2025 — Heartflow, Inc., the global leader in non-invasive artificial intelligence (AI) heart care solutions, and Boone Heart Institute, a Denver area leader in preventive cardiovascular care, today announced the launch of the GAMEFILM Registry, a post-market, data collection registry designed to define cardiac risk in retired National Football League (NFL) players. Retired NFL players Joel Dreessen and Le-Lo Lang will be among the first individuals in the registry to receive a coronary artery disease (CAD) assessment with Heartflow’s AI-driven technology. Dreessen played tight end for eight seasons with the Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, and New York Jets, while Lang played four seasons as a cornerback for the Broncos.
The GAMEFILM Registry will enroll approximately 120 NFL alumni. The Registry will leverage coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) imaging and insights from the Heartflow ONE platform (Heartflow FFRCT and Plaque Analysis) to collect observational data with the goal of better understanding CAD prevalence, risk factors, severity, and treatment protocols among retired athletes. The first site for the GAMEFILM Registry is now enrolling at the Boone Heart Institute in Colorado, representing a significant step forward in understanding the cardiovascular health of retired professional athletes, a population that faces distinct risks due to the physical demands of their careers.
“While up to one in three retired professional football players die of cardiovascular disease, much remains unknown about the prevalence of risk factors and severity of disease among these former high-performing athletes,” said Jeffrey L. Boone, M.D., Founder and Medical Director of the Boone Heart Institute. “By offering CCTA combined with Heartflow FFRCT and Plaque Analysis, we’ll generate real-world data in the GAMEFILM Registry that will provide deeper insights into the unique cardiovascular challenges facing former professional football players, which will help us form protocols that meet their unique needs. The findings will help pave the way for actionable strategies for prevention, earlier detection, and improved care within this population.”
By utilizing Heartflow’s FDA-cleared FFRCT and Plaque Analysis technologies, the study will inform development of prevention and treatment strategies tailored to former NFL players and similar populations worldwide. Heartflow’s AI-driven technologies have helped healthcare providers diagnose CAD and guide treatment decisions for more than 400,000 patients.
“More than 50% of people who die from coronary artery disease have no prior diagnosis or testing, underscoring the importance of getting a clear picture of your heart health to understand and try to prevent heart attacks and death,” said Joel Dreessen, retired Denver Broncos tight end. “Participating in the GAMEFILM Registry is an important step toward better understanding our heart health and addressing the unique cardiovascular risks we face as retired professional athletes.”
“Better, more specific insights, while certainly beneficial for my health, could also ultimately help protect the heart health of generations to come,” added Le-Lo Lang, retired Denver Broncos cornerback. “I’m proud to be partnering with Dr. Boone and Heartflow to encourage all retired players to take advantage of this helpful technology and get a personalized 3D model of their cardiovascular health.”
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the United States and worldwide. Despite significant advancements in diagnostic pathways, many major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), such as heart attacks, occur in patients without symptoms. Four out of five heart attacks and strokes are preventable with lifestyle and nutrition changes if patients at high risk are identified early.1 Understanding plaque burden – where plaque is located in the coronary arteries, the amount of plaque, and the type of plaque – is one of the best ways for physicians to identify patients at high risk of death from a heart attack.2
“We are proud to initiate the GAMEFILM Registry to help identify at-risk patients using Heartflow’s CAD diagnosis and management technology,” said John Farquhar, President and Chief Executive Officer of Heartflow, and an NFL alumnus. “I’m optimistic that through this effort we can help other NFL alumni gain valuable insights into their heart health.”
By combining the advanced imaging capabilities of CCTA with the Heartflow ONE Platform, clinicians can better understand functional information about each coronary artery and blockage and quantify and characterize plaque burden in coronary arteries, enabling more precise risk assessment and targeted medical interventions.
Heartflow is dedicated to defeating heart disease through partnering with physicians to generate robust, high-quality clinical evidence. Heartflow has been adopted by more than 1,300 institutions globally and continues to strengthen its commercial presence to make this cutting-edge solution more widely available to an increasingly diverse patient population worldwide.
About Heartflow, Inc.
Heartflow is transforming precision coronary care with the only AI-powered non-invasive integrated heart care solution across the CCTA pathway. As the pioneer of FFRCT, which is now supported by the ACC/AHA Chest Pain Guideline, Heartflow continues to advance the diagnosis and management of CAD. Heartflow’s suite of non-invasive technologies includes its FFRCT Analysis, Roadmap™ Analysis, and Plaque Analysis. More than 500 peer-reviewed publications have validated our approach and more importantly, our technologies have helped clinicians diagnose and manage over 400,000 patients. For more information, visit www.heartflow.com.
About Boone Heart Institute
Boone Heart Institute is a leader in advanced cardiovascular care and prevention, dedicated to transforming lives through cutting-edge diagnostics, innovative treatments, and personalized wellness programs. With a team of world-renowned cardiologists and a commitment to pioneering research, Boone Heart Institute empowers patients to take control of their heart health and achieve optimal outcomes, with the overall mission to eradicate heart disease and stroke.
Media Contact
Elliot Levy
elevy@heartflow.com
Investor Contact
Nick Laudico
nlaudico@heartflow.com
References
- World Heart Federation. Prevention. https://world-heart-federation.org/what-we-do/prevention/ Accessed Jan. 6, 2025.
- Thomsen, C., Characteristics of high-risk coronary plaques identified by computed tomographic angiography and associated prognosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. EHJ. 2016; 17, 120-129.