Zeiss and Boehringer Ingelheim Partner to Develop Early Detection of Eye Diseases and Prevent Vision Loss
Zeiss Medical Technology and Boehringer Ingelheim announced a long-term strategic collaboration to develop predictive analytics to enable early detection of eye diseases and more personalized treatments to prevent vision loss for people with eye diseases. The partnership aims to bring together the companies' expertise in ophthalmological technology, data analytics, algorithms, and the development of first-in-class treatments to detect early and treat retinal diseases before irreversible vision loss occurs.
Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed.
The new partnership will focus on identifying markers of early stages of retinal diseases by leveraging Zeiss Medical Technology’s cloud-connected devices and AI-assisted analysis of image data sets. Zeiss says this will provide a basis for clinical studies for development of more personalized and precise treatments of early stages of chronic retinal disease, as well as earlier detection and prediction capabilities to preserve vision through new treatment pathways.
“At Zeiss, we have long understood that where collaboration thrives, innovation emerges,“ Euan S. Thomson, PhD, Head of the Ophthalmology Strategic Business Unit and Head of the Digital Business Unit for Zeiss Medical Technology, said in a company news release. “With our announcement today with Boehringer Ingelheim, we’re building on our strategy to innovate through partnerships in order to make breakthrough discoveries to combat vision loss and improve people’s lives. Enabled by our Zeiss Medical Ecosystem and the platform’s ability to aggregate massive data sets for analysis, we‘re strongly positioned to establish new partnerships in pursuit of research yet to be investigated, to accelerate access to future technologies and markets, and to help clinicians provide earlier detection and more personalized and precise care for their patients.“
“Our partnership with Zeiss Medical Technology will allow us to develop precision therapies delivering the right treatment for the right patient at the right time to prevent vision loss by intervening before irreversible damage occurs," Ulrike Graefe-Mody, PhD, Head of Retinal Health at Boehringer Ingelheim, said in the news release. "It is part of our commitment to champion early detection and treatment and will contribute to transforming the lives of people with serious eye disease."
Zeiss' connected and secure architecture integrates diagnostic and therapeutic devices supported by a cloud-based platform in which data aggregation, automation and AI analytics can be used to help drive new discoveries to address the clinical challenges facing health care professionals and ophthalmologists.
Boehringer Ingelheim has built a pipeline focusing on three priority areas to address retinal conditions – the preservation of vascular function, targeting inflammation and neuroprotection.