Dementia affects a growing number of people, and diseases such as Alzheimer’s can develop for many years before the first symptoms appear, according to Der Standard.
As a result, researchers around the world are working to find methods for earlier diagnosis.
At the same time, developing new medical products remains challenging.
The healthcare sector places high demands on documentation, and new solutions must undergo extensive approval processes before they can be put into use.
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New technology
The Austrian start-up Thyra Imaging is working with a technology that was originally developed for astronomical telescopes.
In astronomy, it is used to create sharp images of objects far out in space.
Researchers have adapted the technology so that it can capture highly detailed images of the retina instead.
The images are then analyzed using artificial intelligence to identify small changes in the tissue.
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The company is now working to make the equipment more compact so that it can be used in research centers and, later, in healthcare settings.
A window to the brain
Research shows that certain brain diseases can also be detected in the retina. For this reason, researchers describe the eye as a potential window to the brain.
The goal of the project is to develop a scan that can detect cellular changes associated with dementia and other neurological diseases in just a few seconds.
If successful, the technology could make it possible to identify these diseases many years before the first symptoms appear.
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Sources: Der Standard and Thyra Imaging.
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