Moorfields Eye Hospital, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology (IoO) and Topcon Healthcare are together launching Cascader Limited, a new medical technology company based in London that will transform the detection and management of eye diseases through artificial intelligence (AI). This will include the field of oculomics (the use of advanced retinal imaging to understand systemic health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration and dementia).
Cascader brings together the world-leading clinical research and medical AI expertise at Moorfields and UCL IoO and the global reach and technical capabilities of Topcon Healthcare, which supplies ophthalmic imaging equipment to eye care clinics in community and hospital settings worldwide.
This will mean that these diagnostic algorithms, developed at Moorfields and UCL IoO and currently used for research purposes only, can benefit more patients more quickly in the UK and internationally.
The revenue generated from this new partnership will benefit the NHS and patients.
Pearse Keane, consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital and professor of artificial medical intelligence at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology will be chief medical advisor of the new company, and Peter Thomas, consultant ophthalmologist and chief clinical information officer at Moorfields Eye Hospital, will be its chief executive officer.
Chief executive Peter Ridley said: "We are proud to support the founding of Cascader. This new venture represents the next step in our commitment to translating world-class clinical research into tangible benefits for patients and the NHS."
The INSIGHT Hub at Moorfields, which has enabled the generation of algorithms such as RETFound, will also support AI development at Cascader – through access to curated data and advanced computing infrastructure.
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