GlycoCheck Vision
GlycoCheck is exposing the critical role of the endothelial glycocalyx in the health of the microvascular system. Research using GlycoCheck will reveal where there can be improvement to the health and longevity of people worldwide.
Microvascular Health Solutions will drive a preventative approach that researchers and healthcare practitioners can take as they understand how early warning signs and conditions lead to serious diseases and runaway health care costs.
We are collaborating with leading research hospitals and institutions worldwide, confirming the central role of the glycocalyx in multiple conditions and diseases.
GlycoCheck Milestones
We have developed, and are now refining patented imaging and software technologies, that have led to breakthrough discoveries and will lead to more in the future. The imaging technology employs a microscope video camera system, using proprietary algorithms, that calculates the MicroVascular Health Score for individuals.
From this research, we have developed a patented formula that has been clinically shown that it’s not too late to restore, regenerate and protect the glycocalyx and microvascular system.
Meet a Pioneer in Glycocalyx Research
Dr. Hans Vink is a pioneer in the study of the endothelial glycocalyx. He is one of the first researchers to study the glycocalyx when he focused his expertise on medical imaging. As a result, Dr. Vink and his team were one of the first research groups to capture realistic images of the glycocalyx and focus on its significance.
He had been studying the microvascular system since the 1980s. It wasn’t until the mid-1990s that technology advancements enabled peering deep inside the capillaries to take pictures. The discovery of a very thick glycocalyx, and development of new techniques to take the early pictures, has led to ongoing research to determine how a compromised glycocalyx is linked to diseases and conditions.
Dr. Vink developed the testing technology system to clinically assess the glycocalyx. He is often sought out to lecture at universities and medical institutions around the world due to his expertise in the science of glycocalyx observation and his passion for sharing his extensive understanding of the vascular system. Dr. Vink earned a PhD in Medical Physics from the University of Amsterdam in 1994, where he began his study of the glycocalyx. He continued his research as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Virginia and returned to Amsterdam in 1997 to continue his work. He was awarded a Research Fellowship from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences for his study of the glycocalyx from 2000 through 2005.
In 2005 he became an Established Investigator of the Netherlands Heart Foundation. In 2006 he joined the department of Physiology at Maastricht University, where he continues glycocalyx research within the Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM).
GlycoCheck is a revolutionary patented imaging software and hardware system includes a small video microscope camera placed under the tongue to measure a key aspect of the overall health of the glycocalyx. Dr. Vink learned that testing under the tongue provides a representation of the entire body’s glycocalyx health and its impact on microvascular health.
Robert M. Long
CEO & Co-Founder
Robert “Bob” Long is the Co-Founder and CEO of GlycoCheck and Microvascular Health Solutions (MVHS). He is an experienced business executive, leader and entrepreneur with a proven history in strategic planning, accountability and results-driven success. As Co-Founder and CEO of Microvascular Health Solutions (MVHS) and CEO of GlycoCheck, LLC. Bob directs commercial operations and is committed to developing an organization that identifies medical device companies and nutritional therapies focused on reducing healthcare costs. Bob and Co-Founder Hans Vink have assembled a talented team in Microvascular Health Solutions (MVHS). MVHS is dedicated to educating research institutions, clinicians and consumers, as well as developing and providing cutting-edge microvascular testing systems and nutritional supplements to support the human microvascular system. Bob has previously built several dynamic and profitable companies and teams, both domestically and internationally, as he has worked with key investors to maintain accountability and regular reporting on benchmarks. Bob is a driven executive, emphasizing achievement, focus, and direction spanning from product development to sales and marketing, through operations. In every business endeavor, Bob cuts through to clearly and concisely articulate the benefits of the organization’s offerings to its intended market. One of Bob’s greatest talents is his ability to motivate team members to success, which is evident in the results he has consistently delivered for his companies and their stakeholders.
Worldwide Patents Issued:
- United States
- Canada
- Europe (Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and United Kingdom)
- China
- Japan
Company Overview
GlycoCheck B.V. is the leading provider of imaging and measurement software of the endothelial glycocalyx layer. GlycoCheck technology is a complete microvascular imaging solution. It includes the patented GlycoCheck software installed on a dedicated laptop or all-in-one computer. It’s optimized to run the GlycoCheck software application. It comes with a digital intravital microscopic video camera with disposable sanitary tips. The technology measures and monitors changes in the glycocalyx layer non-invasively, accurately, and in real time. The software generates a report and records historical changes in glycocalyx, capillary function, and microvascular blood flow for each patient.
GlycoCheck is currently being used by healthcare practitioners, and for clinical studies in more than 85 hospitals, and universities in Africa, Asia, Australia, China, Europe, Japan, Russia, and the United States. The studies focus on the relationship of the health of the endothelial glycocalyx and its implications for microvascular health in diabetes, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, vascular dementia, preeclampsia, sepsis, and many other conditions. We have a long list of peer-reviewed published papers using GlycoCheck.
GlycoCheck was developed in the Netherlands at the Cardiovascular Research Institute of Maastricht University (CARIM) by Hans Vink, PhD and his team. GlycoCheck has been awarded patents in the U.S., EU, China and Japan, with more patents pending worldwide.
The glycocalyx is perhaps the most important system in the body. The microvascular system provides nutrients to organs and removes waste. Within every blood vessel is a naturally occurring, gel-like lining called the glycocalyx. This gel-like lining helps all blood vessels protect themselves from molecular structures sticking to the vessel wall within the normal range, and plays a decisive role in the early stages of cardiovascular and a number of other diseases that arise when the glycocalyx deteriorates.