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BIA-Brukerstyrt innovasjonsarena

INSIGHT: Automated retinal imaging and diagnostics

Alternative title: INSIGHT: Automatisk netthinne avbilding og diagnostikk

Awarded: NOK 12.0 mill.

The Oivi camera is envisioned to be a monocular that is automated and easy to use. It will allow for fully automated image capture and diagnostics through use of AI, requiring minimal training of the primary care physician or doctor's assistant. No dilating eye drops are required and the retinal scan is performed in less than 30 seconds. A novel optical design allows for leveraging components from the mobile phone industry, bringing down production cost, advanced tracking algorithms allows for the fully automated image capture, while the hardware accelerated neural compute engine performs the diagnostic real time in the camera. Oivi aims to expand the screening rates for DR by shifting the standard of care from specialist care into the primary care facilities. This results not only in increasing screening and timely diagnosis of DR but also ensures significant cost savings to society and adding value to all stakeholders along the healthcare value chain. The retinal photos will be retained in secure cloud storage along with historical images. These images can be instantly retrieved by the AI-algorithms in the camera to be actively used in the automated imaging diagnostics. The patient will own his own retinal images, and the cloud service will allow for the images and diagnostics results to be easily shared between the primary care physician, the ophthalmologist and eye hospital, thus allowing for seamless execution right from diagnosis to treatment. Currently, we are testing the proposed business model and device, starting with the Indian market. India is a huge diabetes market with 73 million diabetics. There are >1 million primary care physicians, and a large portion of these physicians treat diabetic patients on a regular basis. An R&D-subsidiary has been established in Bangalore, responsible for embedded camera SW development, but will also become the basis for commercial and medical activities in the Indian market.

The potential outcomes of the project could result in a cheaper, state of the art retinal camera that is automated and easy to use. The integrated camera systems tested and prototyped during the project combined a variety of illumination and imaging optical systems, with the purpose of lowering costs of a camera to a fraction of the price of current products on the market. By building such a system, a large portion of people suffering from pathologies such as diabetic retinopathy - people who normally would not be able to access an ophthalmologist - could have a way to detect and monitor their disease progression. Further, the automation of such a system creates the foundation for artificial intelligence to operate cameras, from alignment to eventual diagnosis. The potential is significant, and not limited to retinal conditions.

Oivi is developing a handheld, point-of-care ophthalmic device to detect preventable, vision threatening eye-diseases with its first focus being Diabetic Retinopathy (DR). The solution is based on application of artificial intelligence to automated image capture and diagnostics. DR is a microvascular complication of diabetes caused by long term damage due to uncontrolled blood glucose levels. It is the leading cause of preventable blindness among adults. An estimated 500 million people globally are affected by diabetes and this number is projected to increase to 650 million by 2045. Within 10 years of onset, 75 percent of diabetics will have some degree of DR. However, there is a 95% reduction in vision loss due to DR if patients were to receive early screening, accurate diagnosis and timely treatment. Diabetic retinopathy is difficult to diagnose in its early stages as it is asymptomatic, and hence, screening is the only way to identify such patients to prevent them from going blind. In the developed world only 50% of patients with diabetes get screenings in a given year despite recommendations by the American Diabetes Association. In addition, the gold standard of diagnosing DR i.e. retinal fundus cameras, are expensive and often unavailable in remote or developing parts of the world. The Oivi camera addresses these current unmet needs with its automated image capture and diagnosis thereby enabling screening of a large group of DR patients. Oivi enables early diagnosis and enables inexpensive and early treatment options. Thus preventing vision loss among a huge patient pool. Oivi plans to first target emerging markets like India, where the population has limited or no access to such screening programs. The Oivi device will be offered at a fraction of the cost compared to existing retinal cameras thereby expanding the market to the vast majority of primary care facilities and diabetic clinics.

Funding scheme:

BIA-Brukerstyrt innovasjonsarena