GlycoCheck and Microvascular Health Solutions
A New Paradigm in Microvascular Health

Every successful business stems from just one, tiny seed. It can be a personal challenge, a gap in the marketplace, or an important social issue. Whatever the reason, entrepreneurs are driven enough to overcome the obstacles and turn their big idea into reality. For Robert Long, a seasoned business executive, leader, and entrepreneur, the business idea for his company, GlycoCheck and Microvascular Health Solutions, emerged from his recurring health issue.

In 2009, Long, a type II diabetes patient, had a health scare; he experienced repeated tightness and pain in his chest. Doctor consultation and follow-up tests disclosed that Long did not have any blockages of his arteries. But the physician could not boil down to the root cause of the condition. The lack of a satisfactory response prompted Long to take charge of his health and figure out what was wrong. He decided to find out the “why” behind his health’s downward spiral and see if there was a solution that could help people like himself.

“Endocalyx was formulated with the most advanced scientific thought available today and contains specific antioxidants to help protect the cell, membrane, and vascular walls from free radical damage and glycocalyx mimetics for healthy tissue repair”

It was at this point in time that Long came across Dr. Hans Vink’s research about the glycocalyx (the gel-like lining that protects blood vessels) and decided to learn more about it. Long also stumbled upon GlycoCheck, the glycocalyx testing device Dr. Vink had created to clinically assess the health of the glycocalyx and the microvascular system.

A sudden thought dawned on Long, “what if the health of his glycocalyx was the problem?” He decided to test the capabilities of nutritional ingredients and their impact on the state of his glycocalyx. However, Long didn’t have a way to confirm if the nutraceutical he was testing on himself was actually making a difference. He needed a solution to confirm he was on the right path, and Dr. Vink held the keys to that. Realizing each of their discoveries could be a life-changing improvement for people’s health and longevity, the duo joined forces and established Microvascular Health Solutions in 2014.

Today, the firm is recognized as the worldwide distributor of GlycoCheck, a clinically-validated, class-one medical device that enables monitoring and evaluation of the overall strength and dimension of the glycocalyx and the health of the microvascular system.Long, the co-founder and CEO of the company, says, “Our aim is to commercialize GlycoCheck, and develop therapeutic compounds to support the glycocalyx.” The organization creates and delivers medical devices and nutritional supplements that monitor and support the health and well-being of the endothelial glycocalyx and the microvascular system.

The Glycocalyx and its Link to Overall Health

The endothelial glycocalyx is a vast, protective micro-thin gel lining of capillaries that touch each of the trillions of cells. Its integrity and function are critical to the continuous delivery of nutrients and hormones while eliminating waste, which flows through the capillaries. When the glycocalyx function becomes compromised due to aging, poor diet, lack of exercise, genetics, stress, and other factors, it can often become leaky. When that happens, diseases and serious health conditions can silently begin. Organs begin to starve without the delivery of vital nutrients through the blood capillaries, leading to health decline.

GlycoCheck’s single overall health score quantifies the differences between a healthy and unhealthy circulatory system due to deterioration of the endothelial glycocalyx

With GlycoCheck and Microvascular Health Solutions’ revolutionary patented imaging software and hardware system, healthcare professionals can identify if compromised microvascular health predisposes an individual to be at greater risk of cardiovascular disease and if therapies aimed at repairing and restoring glycocalyx function are effective to improve overall cardiovascular health. The all-in-one video microscope and software solution comprises a small video microscope camera that is placed under the tongue to measure critical aspects of the overall health of the glycocalyx in real-time. The clinical video microscope detects the erythrocytes within the small, sublingual blood vessels. All the raw data collected is analyzed via the patented glycocalyx measurement software system, which provides a Microvascular Health Score calculated from capillary blood volume, recruitment capacity, and perfused boundary region (PBR). The automatic analysis consists of detecting the center lumen of every blood vessel and identifying the outer boundaries of the erythrocytes. The PBR value is calculated in over 100,000 blood vessel segments, making the measurement results sensitive yet very reproducible. Loss of numbers of capillary blood vessels, impaired capacity to functionally recruit more capillaries upon demand, and a higher PBR value when the glycocalyx layer is damaged, all contribute to lower scores of MicroVascular Health in an individual that is more susceptible to cardiovascular complications.

Once the scores are calculated, a microvascular health report is created. “GlycoCheck’s single overall health score quantifies the differences between a healthy and unhealthy circulatory system due to deterioration of the endothelial glycocalyx,” adds Dr. Vink, the co-founder and chief science officer of the company. In this way, GlycoCheck facilitates reliable, non-invasive identification of individuals at risk and allows monitoring of microvascular health in patients with different conditions and diseases, including but not limited to diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, inflammatory diseases, stroke, and kidney disease.

The Solution to Regenerating the Glycocalyx Function

Microvascular Health Solutions has also developed a game-changing, proprietary, patented anti-aging supplement Endocalyx, which delivers the anti-aging building blocks essential to maintaining a healthy endothelial glycocalyx and capillaries in the microvascular system. Endocalyx is a proprietary formula made-up of eight all-natural and non-GMO synergistic compounds derived from carefully selected natural ingredients, including seaweed, plants, fruits, and other natural elements from around the world. The formula strengthens the micro-thin shield that protects the heart, arteries, capillaries, and veins. It helps keep blood vessels slick, smooth, and protected inside, from the largest arteries and veins to the tiniest capillaries, thus, allowing blood to flow freely while optimizing circulation throughout the body. “It builds up the glycocalyx and helps optimize the structure of the capillaries, which allows them to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide, nutrients, and waste more efficiently,” adds Long. Endocalyx actively stimulates all the organs associated with vascular health, including the heart, brain, kidneys, lungs, muscles, skin, and eyes.

Endocalyx was formulated with the most advanced scientific thought available today and contains specific antioxidants to help protect the cell, membrane, and vascular walls from free radical damage and glycocalyx mimetics for healthy tissue repair.

This unique combination of GlycoCheck, the Microvascular Health Score, and the Endocalyx nutraceutical has proven to be successful in repairing, protecting, and regenerating the gel lining that prevents organ starvation and many diseases. In fact, people using Endocalyx have reported more energy, better circulation, a reduction in cold hands and feet, a more youthful appearance, and more confidence in their vascular health.

Revolutionizing Microvascular Health

Notably, the combined efforts of GlycoCheck and Microvascular Health Solutions’ monitoring system, along with the Endocalyx natural supplement, is proving to be a boon in positively impacting the health of people affected by the coronavirus. As a testament to the same, Dr. Vink talks about the firm’s collaboration with a big hospital in Germany. “The underlying chronic conditions cited most frequently in COVID-19 deaths are high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, and poor respiratory health. Dozens of published peer-reviewed research papers from around the world link these underlying chronic conditions as a result of capillary damage to a single hidden problem: a damaged endothelial glycocalyx,” he explains. The GlycoCheck test helps healthcare professionals examine patients with COVID-19—on an individual basis—and identify those at high risk of suffering from the disease. “Our solution also enables them to monitor the changes to a patient’s health condition at the microvascular level, making it possible to test if restoration of microvascular health also improves clinical outcome of COVID-19 patients,” affirms Dr. Vink. A recently published paper underlines the value of GlycoCheck measurements to demonstrate that the microvascular system is significantly more damaged in COVID-19 patients with more complications and smaller chances of survival.

Notably, Dr. Vink has published and co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed research papers about the glycocalyx. In the past five years, there were more than 70 peer-reviewed papers published using the GlycoCheck as a tool to understand the involvement of microvascular dysfunction and glycocalyx damage in the development and progression of multiple diseases. In addition, over 11,000 papers by other researchers have cited Dr. Vink’s work. The firm has also been a recipient of several patents in the U.S., EU, China, and Japan, with more patents pending worldwide.

Right now, the GlycoCheck and Microvascular Health Solutions team is working on deploying version 3 of its software with additional updates and functionalities. “The new version positions us to take the software to a cloud-based computing platform, lowering the cost of the hardware and enhancing the speed of calculations,” states Long. Alongside this, the company is diligently planning to expand the product line to include new solutions focused on specific issues that can be addressed once the glycocalyx is optimized. “Every new product will meet the rigorous standards that distinguish the company; ingredients that really work based on indisputable scientific evidence,” adds Dr. Vink. On the horizon are also plans to improve the camera’s efficacy and roll out with new software updates. The firm is looking forward to collaborating with more partners that can help them realize this ambitious roadmap. With its commitment to enhancing treatment options for the most urgent medical needs, GlycoCheck and Microvascular Health Solutions is moving the needle in microvascular health and ensuring quality care for all.