Optina Diagnostics
Opening a New Frontier in Brain Health Diagnosis

In the pursuit to transform the field of brain health, Optina Diagnostics emerges as a promising start-up dedicated to revolutionizing the approach to diagnosing and monitoring neurodegenerative diseases.

With the growing prevalence of these disorders among aging populations, healthcare systems and clinical experts face significant challenges. As an example, most Alzheimer’s disease cases are managed in specialized care settings, leading to increased costs, delays, and heightened patient stress.

Shockingly, it may take up to three years to obtain an accurate diagnosis of disease pathology after initial suspicions of cognitive decline, and a staggering 40 percent of symptoms-based diagnoses may yield incorrect conclusions.

Moreover, the shortage of neurologists and primary care physicians, coupled with limited access to objective diagnostic tools, means that current clinical evaluations often rely on exclusion-based diagnosis, a lengthy and imprecise method. Cognitive assessments alone frequently miss crucial biological information, and expensive nuclear brain scans like amyloid- PET scans are rarely accessible outside of clinical trials.

Optina’s innovative approach aims to tackle these challenges head-on by providing critical biological information for more accurate diagnosis using a simple eye scan, very similar to the ones made at optometry or ophthalmology clinics.

The company’s groundbreaking Retinal Deep Phenotyping™ (RDP™) platform leverages the unique properties of the retina, offering a non-invasive, user-friendly, and easily accessible test for detecting cerebral amyloid status—a key early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease.

“The RDP™ platform is built upon our USA-FDA 510(k) cleared hyperspectral retinal camera and image analysis algorithm,” says David Lapointe, president and CEO of Optina Diagnostics.

Recognizing the retina as the only optically accessible part of the central nervous system, Optina positions it as a window into the brain. The RDP™ platform captures a series of 92 retinal images per second, collecting approximately 90 million pixels of critical data in a single scan.

This groundbreaking technology empowers physicians to identify diseases, like Alzheimer’s disease, at an early stage, enabling the deployment of appropriate treatment and care plans. Such timely interventions are crucial, given the availability of disease-modifying drugs, either already in the market or in advanced stages of clinical trials, to treat affected patients.

The RDPTM platform is built upon our USA-FDA 510(k) cleared hyperspectral retinal camera and image analysis algorithm

Administering medications during the initial phases of cognitive decline may help slow down disease progression, preserving cognitive function and enhancing quality of life. Early diagnosis also empowers patients and their families to make well-informed decisions regarding care plans, support services, and necessary adjustments in their personal and professional lives.

Ultimately, early detection and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease contribute to better outcomes, reducing the emotional, physical, and financial burden associated with the condition for both patients and their families. Optina turns this vision into reality.

With its pioneering Cerebral Amyloid Status test, Optina Diagnostics aims to improve current clinical workflows and provide early access to crucial biomarkers. The company’s solution promises to have a positive impact on care costs and healthcare quality for its target population.