PR94199

MONTREAL, Jan. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

Optina, an innovative diagnostics company, leader in retinal imaging, brain

health and systemic disease detection, announces the closing of an up to

US$2.1M investment from the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF). The

investment will be made through the ADDF's Diagnostics Accelerator, a

collaborative research initiative supported by ADDF's Co-Founder Leonard A.

Lauder, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, MacKenzie Scott, the Dolby family, and the

Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, among others, to advance the most

promising early diagnostics for Alzheimer's disease. This funding comes on the

tail of closing an oversubscribed Series-A round led by DigitalDx Ventures

including Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, Desjardins, Zoic Capital as well

as other investors.

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    - This new funding will support Optina's pivotal study for the FDA

      regulatory submission of the awAIr(TM) cerebral amyloid status test

      for Alzheimer's disease detection, aligning Optina's platform with

      novel therapeutic approvals

    - Specifically, this new financing will enable Optina to expand its

      pivotal study's cohort size

    - Optina's clinical study will take place across 5 sites in USA, Canada

      and Europe

Optina's Retinal Deep Phenotyping(TM) platform obtained the FDA Breakthrough

Device Designation status in 2019 for its first indication, a non-invasive and

more accessible test to improve diagnosis accuracy and the management of

patients undergoing evaluation for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and received 501(k)

clearance for its hyper-spectral Optina-4C(TM) camera in 2020.

The primary focus of the investment from the ADDF's Diagnostics Accelerator is

to support the pivotal study for Optina's awAIr(TM) cerebral amyloid status

test when AD is suspected. These funds will also be used to accelerate the

deployment of additional clinical study sites with the installation of Optina's

Retinal Deep Phenotyping(TM) platform at further leading institutions.

It is now broadly acknowledged that one key step to improving brain health in

the overall medical field lies in a readily accessible, non-invasive, precise,

and objective diagnostic test for patients suffering from and/or at risk of

cognitive decline. Thus, targeted intervention can take place as early as

possible, ideally prior to brain damage/memory loss, and potentially alter the

course of the disease. Alzheimer's detection, and targeted differentiation from

other illnesses associated with memory loss, is one part of Optina's broader

brain health platform unlocking the secrets of multiple systemic diseases.

"The ADDF created the Diagnostics Accelerator to support research into

promising biomarkers that will play a crucial role in research, diagnosis, and

treatment of Alzheimer's disease. A simple eye scan, such as the technology

developed by Optina, has the potential to help with early, non-invasive

detection of Alzheimer's, which is essential to getting the right patients into

trials and moving research forward," said Howard Fillit, MD, Co-Founder and

Chief Science Officer of the ADDF.

"Optina is proud to have been chosen for the ADDF's Diagnostics Accelerator

initiative. We are confident that we can have an impact and change the lives of

millions of patients in the future. We are already putting this investment to

work with the start of our pivotal study, thanks to all of the participants,

their families and experts around the world supporting our novel approach to

on-site/same-day results using noninvasive digital data capture (1-second eye

scan) which greatly simplifies both the diagnostic process and the patient's

journey," added David Lapointe, CEO of Optina Diagnostics

About Optina Diagnostics

Optina aims to Transform the diagnostic world by seeing the unseen

Optina harnesses the power of innovative retinal imaging and AI, in the form of

a 1-second eye scan, to provide accessible, non-invasive diagnostic test

results for silent and under-detected diseases, empowering healthcare providers

and patients to act on timely and meaningful information. www.OptinaDx.com .

About the Diagnostics Accelerator

The Diagnostics Accelerator (

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3420696-1&h=2487061301&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.alzdiscovery.org%2Fresearch-and-grants%2Fdiagnostics-accelerator&a=Diagnostics+Accelerator

), created in July 2018, is a partnership of funders with funding commitments

totaling nearly $50 million over three years from partners including ADDF's

Co-Founder Leonard A. Lauder, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott, the

Dolby family, the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, The Association for

Frontotemporal Degeneration, among others, to develop novel biomarkers for the

early detection of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

This research initiative is dedicated to accelerating the development of

affordable and accessible biomarkers to diagnose Alzheimer's disease and

related dementias and advance the clinical development of more targeted

treatments. Through translational research awards and access to consulting

support from industry experts, this program will challenge, assist and fund the

research community in both academia and industry to develop novel peripheral

and digital biomarkers.

CONTACT: Marie-Claude Marchand, mcmarchand@optinadx.com

SOURCE:  Optina Diagnostics Inc.