PR92121

MONTREAL, Oct. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

Innodem Neurosciences announced today that it has signed a multi-year

partnership agreement with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. (Novartis) to

conduct a breakthrough clinical trial to help people living with multiple

sclerosis (MS).

Innodem's AI-powered, patented, eye tracking software technology is embodied in

a mobile application that turns a tablet into a device capable of capturing and

analyzing Eye Movement Biomarkers (EMBs) and Gaze Mapping Biomarkers (GMBs) to

assist a clinician's diagnosis and monitor MS disease progression.

Digital EMB and GMB tests are non-invasive and can be completed in minutes in

the clinic's waiting room or by the patient at home. Remote self-testing is a

major advantage during a pandemic and for people living with MS residing in

rural areas who cannot easily access a neurologist.

"The financing from Novartis will fund a carefully designed cross-sectional and

longitudinal MS study that will last until 2027. As a practicing neurologist,

I'm hopeful that the study will validate just how Innodem's technology can

assist clinicians in monitoring disease progression as early as possible to

improve MS treatment and patient outcomes," said Dr. Etienne de Villers-Sidani,

cognitive neurologist, main founder and Chief Executive Officer of Innodem.

"This partnership is the result of an ongoing collaboration that was

architected over the past two years. It embodies our common goal and commitment

to improving quality of care for people living with MS globally," added Marc

Reeves, co-founder and Chief Business Officer of Innodem.

"At Novartis, we are committed to innovation and becoming the leaders in the

health tech space. After reviewing existing solutions, we selected Innodem's

proprietary eye tracking technology and believe it to be the most promising and

one that can easily scale due to its ease-of-use. We anticipate that the trial

will confirm its relevancy so that more people living with MS and treating

clinicians can have access to it in Canada and across the world," commented

Andrea Marazzi, Country Pharma Organization Head, Novartis Pharmaceuticals

Canada Inc.

Over the course of the trial, people living with MS will test twice a month and

the data will be correlated with the current gold standard Expanded Disability

Status Scale (EDSS), Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS)

and Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC) scores to assist clinicians

in detecting subtle changes indicative of disease progression and that may not

show up using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Innodem management believes that the multi-year trial will demonstrate that

novel digital EMBs and GMBs can measure these changes accurately, easily and

cost-effectively. "A clinician whose patient shows objective signs of

progressive MS may recommend a better adapted treatment which could, if

detected early, prevent this individual from developing further disability. No

practical companion diagnostic test currently exists to detect progressive MS,

and I believe EMBs and GMBs can fill that important gap," added Dr. de

Villers-Sidani.

About INNODEM NEUROSCIENCES

Founded in 2016, Innodem Neurosciences has developed patented mobile digital

biomarking technology of neurodegenerative diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis,

Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and related disorders, Frontotemporal

Dementia and related disorders and Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment ("chemo

brain"). This novel eye-tracking and cognition testing technology is embodied

in a HIPAA/PIPEDA compliant system consisting of an intuitive tablet

application connected to a cloud-based AI infrastructure. The app is made up of

a series of tasks that are completed in minutes, where a user's eye movement is

recorded in data sets called Eye Movement Biomarkers (EMBs) and Gaze Mapping

Biomarkers (GMBs). Innodem's core team, led by cognitive neurologist & CEO Dr.

Eìtienne de Villers-Sidani, is composed of an intersectional group of

neuroscientists, software engineers, data scientists, healthcare professionals

and serial entrepreneurs. The company's mission is to provide easier ways to do

remote testing for all stages of neurodegenerative diseases and cancer-related

cognitive impairment to improve quality of care and patient outcomes, at unseen

levels of user-friendliness and cost-effectiveness for the global health

system. For further information, please consult www.innodemneurosciences.com

Contact: Valerie Gonzalo, AGO Communications, 514-923-1549, valerie@agocom.ca

SOURCE: Innodem Neurosciences