EssilorLuxottica announced it has acquired Ikerian AG, operating under the RetinAI brand—and the digital health company’s artificial intelligence (AI) and eyecare data management technology.
Start with Ikerian (and RetinAI).
First thing to know is how these two companies are connected:
- RetinAI was originally founded in 2017 as RetinAI Medical AG, then restructured and rebranded as Ikerian in 2023, when the latter was founded as its new parent company.
About RetinAI: This subsidiary is a Swiss- and U.S.-based software company developing first-in-human drug candidates, managing and overseeing clinical trials, and enabling research to improve the quality of care for ophthalmic disease patients..
- How it’s doing this:
- By developing advanced tools to collect, process, and grade large-scale retinal images and biomarker datasets.
- By partnering with pharma companies (such as Boehringer Ingelheim) and research organizations, utilizing real-world evidence to advance clinical studies and drug development
And what technology has RetinAI developed?
That would be its RetinAI Discovery flagship platform, which received FDA 510(k) clearance in 2022.
What it is: A medical and imaging data management system that applies AI models to support the diagnosis and monitoring of ophthalmic disease progression (think: age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), and glaucoma—for more accurate (not to mention timely) disease management.
Specifically: The integrated platform:
- Delivers cloud- and web-based access for a more collaborative and interactive, real-time analysis of clinical cases
- Analyzes ophthalmic images, such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans and color fundus photography (CFP) from a variety of medical devices.
Which clinicians can use it?
As a multi-modality platform, the Discovery is designed for use in both ophthalmic clinics and optometric practices to assist in accelerating and advancing key clinical areas:
- Clinical decision workflows
- Teleophthalmology management
- Patient management
- Referral decisions
And how does the AI component work into this?
Large datasets are combined, aggregated, and connected on a singular cloud-based repository for data that is then automatically:
- Analyzed via RetinAI’s research-use-only (RUO) AI algorithms
- Examined for accelerated and AI-biomarker-based treatment decisions
See here for specifics on the four AI models the platform offers (including an ophthalmic-only model) and check out a visual of the process in action.
Alrighty, now back to Essilor—why purchase RetinAI?
According to Essilor Chairman and CEO Francesco Milleri, the acquisition is a reinforcement to its “med-tech” (medical technology) journey by adding value to Essilor’s expanding ecosystem of (in their words):
- Comprehensive eyecare
- Advanced diagnostics
- Therapeutic innovation
- Surgical excellence
See here for our latest coverage on the company (including last month’s FDA-authorized marketing of the Essilor Stellest eyeglasses for myopia and debut of the Cellview Retinal Camera with widefield fundus imaging).
And for RetinAI?
With Essilor’s expansive global reach, Ikerian/RetinAI Chairman and CEO Carols Ciller noted that companies will be able to “shape how technology drives better healthcare, sharper vision, and improved outcomes for patients.”
Last question: Any monetary value attached to this deal?
None that were disclosed (and, based on the announcement, it appears the acquisition is already a done deal).