From our last five year trial, we have very exciting evidence that we’re on the right path. Our next trial is to confirm this and narrow down the range of metrics to identify the few ways of scoring the retinal imaging that translates into a test we can then roll out broadly to optometry and ophthalmology practices. This will take another 5 year study, and we’re enrolling several hundred people we’re going to follow for three years each so we’re enrolling for the next two years, and then we’re going to follow everyone for three years after that. We’re doing blood testing to look at amyloid protein and tau and other proteins in the blood. We’re doing brain imaging for as many people as we can. We’re doing genetic testing, cognitive assessments, and this will continue for five years. ¾ of the sample will be pre-symptomatic, but we’re also looking at some super healthy aging persons who have no risks, no genetic risks, no family history, and we’ll also look at groups with MCI and a group with mild AD so we plan on looking at the full spectrum and we’re going to follow them and do comprehensive assessments each year. The retinal imaging will include anatomic imaging, using a special laser we think will pick up amyloid inclusion in the retina, looking at super thin blood vessels, the chemistry in the retina, and essentially at a lot of different imaging modalities. It’s a really complex system and the signal we care about the most may change over the course of the disease.
How long will these retina trials take until it’s certain that the early detection works?
By
Being Patient
| October 21st, 2020