ZEISS Medical Technology and Boehringer Ingelheim have launched a long-term strategic collaboration for the early detection of eye diseases and vision loss prevention via the development of predictive analytics.
Let’s start with a refresher.
Boehringer Ingelheim is a privately-owned German pharmaceutical company with U.S. operations based in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The company develops, manufactures, and markets pharmaceuticals parasiticides, vaccines, and therapies for unmet medical needs.
Of note, the company has recently expanded its focus in the ophthalmic space to cover the global research and development of retinal diseases, including geographic atrophy (GA).
ZEISS Medical Technology (Carl Zeiss Meditec) is a medical equipment manufacturing company also based in Germany focused on innovative ophthalmic diagnostic solutions, ophthalmic surgery (instrumentation and intraocular lens implants), and visualization systems in the microsurgery field.
Further, the U.S. headquarters is located in Dublin, California.
What does this partnership entail?
The collaboration is geared toward identifying markers of early-stage retinal diseases—all with the use of ZEISS’s cloud-connected devices and artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted analysis of the company’s large-scale image data sets.
Gotcha. And the goal?
The companies intend to use this data to launch clinical studies for the development of “more personalized and precise treatments of early stages of chronic retinal diseases” along with both earlier detection and prediction capabilities for vision preservation via new treatments.
Talk more about this ZEISS technology.
Developed in 2021, the ZEISS Medical Ecosystem is a completely-integrated environment consisting of devices, data management, applications, and services for continued improvements of patient outcomes.
To note, the platform integrates with ZEISS’s portfolio of diagnostic and therapeutic devices via the ZEISS Health Data Platform, which can facilitate massive data aggregation at scale.
What makes it unique?
The fully-connected, data-driven, and cloud-based platform is designed to expand the company’s integrated workflow solutions—cataract, premium cataract, corneal refractive, retina, glaucoma, and optometry—to include AI as well as a safe and efficient data management system for clinical practices.
The end result: creating evidence-based decisions for more efficient and higher quality of care.
Now back to this partnership … what’s the benefit for Boehringer Ingelheim?
According to Ulrike Graefe-Mody, PhD, the company’s head of Retinal Health, the collaboration is allowing Boehringer Ingelheim to develop precision therapies that deliver “the right treatment for the right patients at the right time to prevent vision loss by intervening before irreversible damage occurs.”
Speaking of collaborations, didn’t the company just partner on retinal research?
Good memory!
In June 2023, Boehringer Ingelheim and RetinAI Medical AG launched a partnership to identify novel biomarkers and predictors of geographic atrophy (GA) progression via the RetinAI’s AI technology and retinal disease research.
Read our coverage here, including more details on the RetinAI Discovery medical and imaging data management platform.