At just 14 years old, Siddharth Nandyala, an Indian American from Frisco, Texas, has created an innovative smartphone app capable of detecting heart disease in under seven seconds. His app, Circadian AI, uses artificial intelligence to analyze heart sounds recorded via smartphone, filters out background noise, and scans for signs of arrhythmias, heart failure, coronary artery disease, and valve disorders.
According to the American Heart Association, around 121.5 million adults in the U.S. — nearly 48% — suffer from cardiovascular disease, the world’s top cause of death. Siddharth’s app aims to shift the paradigm of early detection, where timely alerts could save countless lives.
Driven by a desire to use technology for social good, Siddharth spent months collaborating with doctors and collecting data from hospitals across the U.S. and India. The app underwent clinical testing on 15,000 patients in the U.S. and 3,500 in India and achieved an impressive 96% accuracy rate in detecting cardiac issues.
The app, currently designed for clinical use by trained personnel, is intended as a pre-screening tool—not a substitute for EKGs or formal diagnostics. Still, it offers a game-changing approach in regions with limited access to healthcare facilities.
Medical professionals have lauded the app’s potential. Dr. Jameel Ahmed, an electrophysiologist at Louisiana State University, highlighted how the technology could provide early intervention in patients who might otherwise go undiagnosed, significantly reducing mortality.
Siddharth is no stranger to innovation. He previously developed a low-cost prosthetic arm and founded STEM IT, a startup producing science kits for students. His achievements have earned him accolades, including recognition from the U.S. House of Representatives and a letter from former President Joe Biden.
Now a freshman at the University of Texas studying computer science, Siddharth is working to expand the app’s capability to identify lung-related conditions such as pneumonia and pulmonary embolism—continuing to bridge tech and medicine as a young Indian American trailblazer.
