RetinAI and Boehringer Ingelheim join forces to develop AI-based treatment for geographic atrophy

Boehringer Ingelheim has partnered with RetinAI to help it research therapies for geographic atrophy (GA). They have agreed to use artificial intelligence algorithms for imaging data to search for novel biomarkers and indicators of disease development.

In recent years, Boehringer has taken steps to break into the GA market by pushing a candidate into the clinic in 2019 and signing a collaboration with CDR-Life the following year to work on preclinical antibody fragments. However, these efforts have stalled, most notably when an early-phase clinical trial was halted last year after data analysis convinced the company that the benefit-risk balance may be unfavorable for patients.

About Geographic Atrophy (GA)

• Geographic Atrophy (GA) is a severe type of macular degeneration that is age-related.
• It affects over 5 million people worldwide. 
• GA is one of the leading causes of blindness.
• As the population ages, the frequency of GA is projected to increase. 
• The loss of eyesight due to GA is painful and can have long-term consequences in many areas of life.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals, which received FDA permission for the first GA treatment three months ago, and Iveric Bio, which might receive approval later this year, now have a chance to carve out a market free of Big Pharma rivalry. However, the German pharmaceutical company is not giving up.

RetinAI, a producer of software for expediting retinal illness research, announced cooperation with Boehringer in GA. RetinAI collaborates with ophthalmology professionals to assist data processing and produce more efficiently target-based research for enhanced study design and research. Its data management platform helps analyze large datasets to get more comprehensive results.

RetinAI analyzes data on the eyes using machine learning and computer vision, in this instance a collection of imaging data compiled by Boehringer from clinical studies and real-world initiatives. This combination of modern digital technologies and artificial intelligence might speed up the development of innovative medicines and allow earlier and more precise diagnosis, adding to Boehringer Ingelheim’s objective of avoiding vision loss and blindness caused by retinal disorders.

RetinaAI CEO Carlos Ciller believes that the expertise and platform of the company will allow the research to be extensive and provide more detailed results on the disease. 

Boehringer requires a push to compete in the GA market, and there is vast competition in the market leading to the required push needed by the company. Apellis and Iveric appear to be the frontrunners for the market at first, but AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, and Roche also have candidates in phase 2 and 3 clinical studies.

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