RetiSpec and Topcon Healthcare Announce Collaboration to Help Bring Eye-Based AI Diagnostic Tool to Market
Topcon Healthcare announced it has invested in RetiSpec and the two companies are collaborating to bring RetiSpec technology to market. The collaboration will bring neurology and eye care closer together.
RetiSpec's clinically validated eye diagnostic AI aims to help healthcare providers predict amyloid burden, a core biomarker of Alzheimer's disease, even before symptoms emerge. Currently, the test is available for Research Use Only; but the companies say once commercialized and integrated with Topcon Harmony, a device-inclusive and cloud-based clinical data management platform, it will help enable early detection of Alzheimer's disease and facilitate timely access to care.
"The launch of new disease modifying therapies for Alzheimer's disease has created a need for an affordable, accessible diagnostic solution. Dementia specialists carry overwhelming caseloads, so we urgently need better screening tools to triage to specialists early when new treatments are most efficacious at changing disease course," says RetiSpec CEO, Eliav Shaked. "Delivering RetiSpec's AI-solution via the Harmony platform will help meet this need at scale, which could aid in timely medical management and more equitable access to treatment."
The collaboration between Topcon Healthcare and RetiSpec will aim to accelerate the commercialization and scale of RetiSpec's first brain health indication in Alzheimer's disease. It will also help expedite development of additional AI-powered diagnostic solutions from the eye for early detection and monitoring of neurodegenerative diseases and side effects of the new therapies for Alzheimer's disease.
"We are committed to accelerating innovation that enables scalable, affordable healthcare from the eye," said Ali Tafreshi, CEO and President of Topcon Healthcare. "RetiSpec embodies this mission by developing solutions for early detection of neurological diseases at the point of care. We are excited to empower them in the fight against Alzheimer's disease."