A new, artificial intelligence-powered diagnostic was able
to detect the early signs of glaucoma on the cellular level in a
clinical trial, a full year-and-a-half before current testing methods.
First developed at University College London with funding
from the Wellcome Trust, the test begins with a fluorescent dye injected
into the bloodstream. After finding its way to the eye, a genetically
modified protein binds the molecular marker to the surface of distressed
and dying nerve cells in the retina.
When viewed under standard imaging equipment, the dye
lights up the damaged cells. Known as DARC, for detection of apoptosis
in retinal cells, the test then uses an automated AI algorithm to scan
the image and predict the progression of glaucoma, along with its
potential risk for future blindness. In the study, researchers were able
to accurately gauge and measure retinal cell damage 18 months before
standard OCT eye scans.
“What is really exciting, and actually unusual when looking
at biological markers, is that there was a clear DARC count threshold
above which all glaucoma eyes went on to progress,” said
test developer Francesca Cordeiro, chair of ophthalmology at Imperial
College London and professor of glaucoma and retinal neurodegeneration
at UCL.
Sensitive biomarkers for slow-moving diseases such as
glaucoma are urgently needed and can help speed up the pace of research
that would otherwise have to wait years to see changes in symptoms,
according to Cordeiro, who also serves as director of the clinical
trials unit at Western Eye Hospital London. The results of the phase 2,
UCL-sponsored clinical trial were published in the journal Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics.
“Being able to diagnose glaucoma at an earlier stage, and
predict its course of progression, could help people to maintain their
sight, as treatment is most successful if provided at an early stage of
the disease,” said study first author Eduardo Normando, a senior
lecturer at Imperial College London. “After further research in
longitudinal studies, we hope that our test could have widespread
clinical applications for glaucoma and other conditions.”
The test is being developed by the London-based startup
Novai, which counts Cordeiro as chief scientific officer, for both
glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration—and is exploring its use
in other degenerative conditions stemming from the loss of cells, such
as multiple sclerosis and dementia.
In addition, shortly after launching last month, the
company announced a collaboration with the U.S. division of the Japanese
ophthalmology biotech Santen.
