DUNFERMLINE, Scotland—Optos, a subsidiary of Nikon Corp., and Amydis have formed a clinical alliance to develop an eye test by Amydis to detect Alzheimer’s disease. Amydis has developed a pipeline of compounds to detect amyloid proteins in the retina to be visualized with Optos’ optomap ultra-widefield retinal imaging devices to diagnose Alzheimer’s Disease in patients. The compounds bind to specific biomarkers in the retina and fluoresce, making them visible with an optomap retinal camera.

Optos and Amydis will work to provide a medical solution to assist physicians and pharmaceutical companies discovering therapeutic interventions and address the large, unmet clinical need for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s patients, the companies said in a news release.


“We are proud of the ongoing use of optomap imaging devices in clinical research to visualize biomarkers in the retina associated with Alzheimer’s Disease,” said Optos CEO Robert Kennedy. “This clinical collaboration with Amydis supports Optos’ vision to help physicians diagnose and monitor disease by studying the retina. We are pleased to work with Amydis in this important alliance and the benefit it may bring to patients suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease.”

Stella Sarraf, PhD, CEO of Amydis, commented, “We are very excited about the opportunity to use our targeted fluorescent probe technology with Optos’ ultra-widefield retinal cameras to develop a simple screening test to diagnose Alzheimer’s Disease.”