Eye scan developed in Belgium detects early neurodegenerative diseases
Belgian-French medical start-up neuroClues based in Louvain-la-Neuve in Walloon Brabant has unique technology ready to detect neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, years in advance through rapid analysis of eye movements.
It has long been known in medical circles that the eye is a good indicator of our general health. It acts as a kind of window on the body, and this is what the scientists, doctors and engineers at neuroClues have once again established through experiments.
They have developed a headset that requires patients to follow a moving dot on a screen with their eyes. The device takes infrared images of each eye at a rate of 800 per second. It works with high spatial and temporal resolution, which means that it can measure very precisely where and when something happens in the eye. This provides objective and quantifiable biomarkers and reveals hidden information, resulting in better early diagnosis and patient follow-up. By adjusting their lifestyles and possibly starting a particular course of treatment, patients can try to prevent or delay some diseases even before the first symptoms manifest themselves. The non-invasive test takes as little as five minutes but can offer a prognosis up to five years ahead.
neuroClues hopes to have its headset licensed in the USA by 2024 and in Europe by 2025.