RetinAI, Boehringer Ingelheim Collaborate on Geographic Atrophy Treatment

RetinAI Medical AG has partnered with Boehringer Ingelheim to improve patient outcomes in geographic atrophy (GA). The two firms plan to combine RetinAI’s Discovery platform and AI tools with Boehringer Ingelheim’s research in retinal diseases.

“RetinAI is excited to embark on this collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim, a leader in the development of more precise treatments and application of digital technologies in retinal diseases,” RetinAI CEO Dr. Carlos Ciller said.

GA is a progressive, advanced form of age-related macular degeneration and a leading cause of complete loss of sight, estimated to affect around 5 million people worldwide.¹ The number of people affected by GA increases exponentially with age. As the population ages, the prevalence of the disease is expected to rise.^1,2 The loss of vision is traumatic and permanently impacts many aspects of life.
 
RetinAI’s AI tools for identifying novel biomarkers will be tested for the analysis of Boehringer Ingelheim’s imaging datasets from clinical studies and real-world evidence to identify additional, novel biomarkers and predictors of disease progression. This integration of advanced digital technologies and AI could help accelerate the development of urgently needed novel treatments and enable earlier and more precise diagnosis contributing to Boehringer Ingelheim’s vision of preventing vision loss and blindness caused by retinal diseases.
 
“Our Discovery platform and AI tools in GA accelerate research and provide robust disease insights,” Ciller stated. “We are confident this collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim can pave the way to novel treatments that are better tailored to a patient’s disease…”
 
RetinAI Medical AG, founded in early 2017, is a Swiss company developing software solutions to accelerate clinical, research, and pharmaceutical workflows globally using advanced machine learning and computer vision. RetinAI builds tools to collect, organize and analyze health data from the eyes, enabling healthcare professionals to make the right decisions sooner in healthcare. RetinAI’s international team leverages its clinical, technical, and scientific expertise to foster the transition from reactive to preventive medicine for severe eye diseases.
 
RetinAI partners with experts in ophthalmology to help accelerate data analysis and more effectively achieve target-based research for improved study design, clinical studies and research. RetinAI’s data management platform and models, including AI models for Geographic Atrophy progression prediction, analyze datasets at-scale to gain a deep understanding on biomarker profiles and patient subgroups or outcomes.

References 
¹ Wong WL, Su X, Li X, et al. Global prevalence of age-related macular degeneration and disease burden projection for 2020 and 2040: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Glob Health. 2014;2(2):e106–e116. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(13)70145-1
² Rudnicka AR, Jarrar Z, Wormald R, Cook DG, Fletcher A, Owen CG. Age and gender variations in age-related macular degeneration prevalence in populations of European ancestry: a meta-analysis. Ophthalmology. 2012;119(3):571–580. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2011.09.027