Technology
Cognoptix’ easy-to-use system consists of a fluorescent ointment and laser eye scanner that detects amyloid in the eye lens, right in the comfort of a doctor’s office.
Cognoptix is developing technologies for non-invasive quantitative measurements of amyloid protein deposits in the lens of the eye to enable early detection of Alzheimer’s disease.
SAPPHIRE II System
SAPPHIRE Promises a New Hope
Cognoptix’ SAPPHIRE platform is a compact, easy to use, clinical device for in situ patient examination in the comfort of a doctor’s office. The combined platform is currently available in the United States for investigational use only and is intended for clinical evaluation and measurement of beta-amyloid aggregation in anatomically defined regions of the anterior segment of the eye.
Comparable, Potentially Superior Performance Versus PET Scan
The results of a multicenter clinical trial of its SAPPHIRE II eye test, designed to identify Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) patients via a beta-amyloid signature in their eyes, has been published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease & Other Dementias (AJA).
By detecting a specific fluorescent signature of ligand-marked beta-amyloid in the supranucleus region of the human lens, SAPPHIRE II achieved a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 95% in differentiating 20 patients who were clinically diagnosed with probable AD from a group of age-matched, healthy volunteers. In addition, the SAPPHIRE II test showed excellent correlation to PET (positron emission tomography) amyloid brain imaging, the current gold standard for detecting beta-amyloid in the brain.
“The easy-to-use SAPPHIRE II eye scan has demonstrated the clinical potential to remake the paradigm for the way in which Alzheimer’s Disease is currently diagnosed and managed.”
Fluorescent Ligand Eye Scanning (FLES)
Fluorescent Ligand Eye Scanning (FLES) is a technique in which a compound composed of beta amyloid-specific small molecules is dropped into a patient’s eye, which is scanned by the SAPPHIRE instrument.
The small molecules are absorbed into the lens and bind to the amyloid aggregates. The FLES system excites the fluorescent ligands that bind to amyloid and quantitatively measures emissions in specific anatomical locations to biochemically confirm the presence of amyloid.
The binding compounds emit light in a specific, detectable range of wavelengths. If binding increases over time, a positive diagnosis can be made, enabling clinicians to track the progress of the disease in patients by measuring levels of fluorescence – as well as potentially enabling doctors and pharmaceutical researchers to monitor the efficacy of Alzheimer’s drugs in clinical trial settings.