Article preview from Start-Up - January, 2012
Worldwide rates of all diseases that cause blindness are expected to double by 2020 due to the aging population, making this an area ripe for medical device innovation. A multibillion-dollar market has been built around the surgical correction of "front of the eye" age-related vision disorders such as presbyopia, but the technological evolution in ophthalmology has now reached the back of the eye. Artificial retinal prostheses are an increasingly popular area of investigation. Start-ups hoping to enter this market face daunting R&D, clinical and regulatory hurdles, and will require significant resources. We profile three such companies in this issue: 2C Tech Corp., LambdaVision and Nano Retina.
Article preview from Start-Up - January, 2012
Degenerative ophthalmic diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP) are leading causes of blindness worldwide. Associated with aging, these retinal conditions are twice as prevalent as Alzheimer's disease, affecting at least 30 million people worldwide, most over 60 years of age, according to AMD Alliance International. Globally, the direct and indirect cost of visual impairment due to these diseases was estimated at $343 billion in 2010, according to this same source. Although drugs have been developed that help to slow wet AMD disease progression (a form of AMD that affects just 10% of patients), and recently, devices have emerged to improve vision for dry AMD (the other 90% of patients), currently there are no medical or surgical treatments that can provide a cure. With worldwide rates of all diseases that cause blindness expected to double by 2020 due to the aging population, this is an area ripe for medical device innovation.
A multibillion-dollar market has been built around the surgical correction of "front of the eye" age-related vision disorders such as presbyopia, with laser vision correction and the development of next-generation reversible implantable lenses, and the treatment of cataracts with ever-improving intraocular lenses (IOLs). The technological evolution in ophthalmology has now reached the back of the eye where retinal structures are an increasingly popular but complex area of investigation by start-up ophthalmic companies, universities and research institutions worldwide. According to Zack Scott, MD, vice president at Saints Capital
, there is a significant device market opportunity for treating patients at the later stages of the degenerative ophthalmic disease spectrum. However, based on the experience of their predecessors, start-ups entering this product segment face daunting research and development – and clinical and regulatory – hurdles, and will require significant resources.
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No publication reviews leading edge companies and technology better than START-UP. Each issue of START-UP profiles the most important new product companies, identifies the hottest technology areas, reviews funds flowing into private companies and investment trends, and reports on university tech transfer licensing. Industries covered: pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical equipment & devices, and in vitro diagnostics.
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