EyeFundusScopeNEO

The EyeFundusScopeNEO project, carried out in a consortium between Hospital CUF Infante Santo, Fraunhofer Portugal Research Association and First Solutions - Sistemas de Informação S.A., aims to optimize, demonstrate and evaluate a solution for screening diabetic retinopathy that can be used by non-clinicians ophthalmology specialists.

The solution will integrate a fundus image acquisition system, the EyeFundusScope developed by Fraunhofer AICOS, in the clinical management information system developed by First Solutions. The solution will allow non-ophthalmology clinicians to capture images of the retina and make them available to ophthalmologists to obtain an opinion on the presence of diabetic retinopathy.

The EyeFundusScope will be optimized for non-specialists in Ophthalmology in the context of Hospital CUF Infante Santo and integrated with a leading information system to support the evaluation of Diabetic Retinopathy developed by First Solutions that will be adapted to the purposes of this project. The retinal images, acquired during clinical appointments and actions in the community, will be analyzed by CUF Ophthalmologists, who will follow the case, in case the disease is present. The project includes two pilots at Hospital CUF Infante Santo.

Based on the results of the pilots, the consortium hopes to prove the potential of the system to radically increase the number of patients with diabetes who screen for Diabetic Retinopathy annually. The solution resulting from the project will be viable, cost-effective, usable and well accepted by professionals who are not specialists in Ophthalmology, which should lead to a quick commercialization of the system in the post-project.

Project co-financed by Business Incentive System in R&D Demonstrator Project typology.

PROJECT'S SPECS SHEET (PDF)

Project co-financed by:

FIRST joins Fraunhofer Portugal AICOS to improve diabetic retinopathy screening

The EyeFundusScope, an awarded project developed by Fraunhofer Portugal AICOS, will be a crucial component in a new project that aims to integrate and validate a mobile solution for the risk assessment of diabetic retinopathy. The Mobile Diabetic Retinopathy Screening project (MobileDRS) led by the Portuguese company First Solutions SA, intends to create a low cost and effective tool integrated in a commercial solution for management of screening programmes.

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease triggered by a physiological dysregulation caused by diabetes. Nowadays, it is the leading cause of avoidable blindness in the world. The continuous monitoring is essential to protect the vision since its progression is asymptomatic in the early stages. The hard mobility of traditional equipment and low availability of specialists limit the effectiveness of the screening process. The project MobileDRS led by FIRST Solutions SA includes the adaptation of the mobile prototype called EyeFundusScope once awarded by Exame Informática. A smartphone-based acquisition of retinal images combined with 3D-printed components around a dedicated optical system is expected to overcome those limitations, empowering a wider range of medical professionals or non-experts to acquire retinal images in a flexible and affordable way. With its validation, the MobileDRS project may play a future role in covering isolated populations using a mobile and low cost device, reducing costs for the Health Ministry and enhancing the effectiveness of screening programmes. The mobile solution will be integrated in an information system for management of population screening programmes, called SiiMA Rastreios, which allows the implementation of the functional circuit from the examination invitation to treatment and follow-up. The project (identified as POCI-01-0247-FEDER-010838 according to Portugal 2020) is co-funded by the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) from European Union, framed in the COMPETE 2020 (Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation).

Co-financied by:

"HCA" PROJECT

Identification: Project I&DT in Co-Promotion (NORTE-01-0202-FEDER-005391)
Incentive system: IS to Research and Technological Development
Description: Project HCA (HealthCare Anywhere) has the objective of developing a computer architecture centred on the patient enabling access to their clinical summary in any contact with a healthcare professional.

Co-financied by:

"FIRST R&D" PROJECT"

Identification: Centre for RTD (Project no. 6737)
Incentive system: IS to Research and Technological Development
Description: Creation of the RTD Centre, including innovation certification and development of the Remind project (alert system for medical information to be used in hospital or homecare environments).

Co-financied by:

"INTERFIRST" PROJECT

Identification: Individual SME Qualification and Internationalization Project (Project no. 16506)
Incentive system: IS to Qualification and Internationalization of SME
Description: The project seeks to increase the company’s competitiveness through increasing its visibility and presence in the international market and strengthening its internal competences.

Co-financied by:

"TICE-HEALTHY" PROJECT

Identification: Mobilizing Project (Project no. 13842)
Incentive system: Incentive system: IS to Research and Technological Development
Description: Participation in PPS Be aware – Project for developing epidemiological surveillance platform for detecting and the containment of infections associated to health care.

Co-financied by:

"GlobalFirst" PROJECT

Identification: Individual SME Qualification and Internationalization Project (Project no. 40348)
Incentive system: IS to Qualification and Internationalization of SME
Description: Promote the strategic growth of First Solutions in the global market.

Co-financied by:

"ManAge" PROJECT

Identification: Individual RDT Project (no. 2012/24378)
Incentive system: IS to Research and Technological Development
Description: Developing an integrated home-setting health care platform.

Co-financied by: