Nikon’s subsidiary Optos has formed a clinical alliance with Amydis for the development of an eye test to detect Alzheimer’s disease.
Image: Opto and Amydis partner to develop test for Alzheimer’s diseasePhoto: Courtesy of Cristian Newman/Unsplash.
Amydis claims to have developed a pipeline of compounds for detecting amyloid proteins in the retina to be visualized with Optos’ optomap ultra-widefield retinal imaging devices to diagnose Alzheimer’s Disease in patients.
The alliance will focus on the clinical development of Amydis’ test for the detection of Alzheimer’s disease.
The alliance will integrate Optos’ market leadership with its ultra-widefield technology and strong commercial presence among eyecare specialists, with Amydis’ compounds to expand Optos’ market opportunity into the field of neurodegeneration.
The compounds bind to specific biomarkers in the retina and fluoresce making them visible with an optomap retinal camera.
Together, the companies will work to provide a new medical solution to assist physicians and pharmaceutical companies discovering therapeutic interventions and address the large unmet clinical need for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s patients.
Optos CEO Robert Kennedy said: “We are proud of the ongoing use of optomap imaging devices in clinical research to visualize biomarkers in the retina associated with Alzheimer’s Disease. This clinical collaboration with Amydis supports Optos’ vision to help physicians diagnose and monitor disease by studying the retina.
“We are pleased to work with Amydis in this important alliance and the benefit it may bring to patients suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease.”
Amydis CEO Stella Sarraf said: “We are very excited with the opportunity to use our targeted fluorescent probe technology with Optos’ ultra-widefield retinal cameras to develop a simple screening test to diagnose Alzheimer’s Disease.”
Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disease and it is a very common form of dementia. It is considered officially as the sixth leading cause of death in the US.
Studies show that damage to the brain begins 15 to 20 years before the actual problems become evident. Currently, there are no treatments that can stop or reverse the disease’s progress.