To advance a handheld device for diabetes and pre-diabetes screening through eye scans.
Approach:
Device Development: Occuity is developing the SD1 device, a non-contact optical system for use in community settings like opticians and pharmacies.
Oculomics Technology: The device measures advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) in the crystalline lens to assess diabetes risk without blood samples.
Key Findings:
The SD1 device aims to make diabetes screening faster and more accessible.
Diabetes is a significant burden on the NHS and a leading cause of severe health complications.
Existing prevention programs struggle with early identification of at-risk individuals.
Interpretation:
The SD1 device could facilitate earlier identification of pre-diabetes through rapid, non-invasive assessments.
Limitations:
The success rate for funding was about 2.3%, indicating high competition.
Conclusion:
The funding from Innovate UK represents a significant endorsement of Occuity's technology and vision.
