Nov 7 2012
Specializing in the diagnosis of glaucoma, a spin-off of EPFL has just completed a major round of financing which should enable it, among other things, to penetrate the American and Chinese markets.
SENSIMED Triggerfish non-invasive device based on a telemetric sensor embedded in a soft contact lens.
Sensimed, an EPFL spin-off, just obtained 17 million Swiss francs through a round of financing led by Wellington Partners, Agate Medical Investments, and Vinci Capital / Renaissance PME, and supplemented by existing shareholders as well as by new investors, such as the Sandoz Family Foundation, ELM Development, and various successful entrepreneurs in the medical field.
The company developed a non-invasive device based on a telemetric sensor embedded in a soft contact lens, the SENSIMED Triggerfish®, that enables a new treatment for glaucoma. This disease affecting around 3% of the population results in the deterioration of the field of vision and, if untreated, leads to blindness. The system provides individualized profiles in fluctuations of the interocular pressure (IOP) over 24 hours, to model and analyze. These profiles are centralized in a database with other information on the patient’s health and previous treatments. Modeling algorithms then process these elements to identify disease patterns and differentiate the types of glaucoma to further customize treatment.
“This solution is positioned at the convergence between the medical device, the personalization of treatment, and the knowledge gained by shared information from each physician,” said Jean-Marc Wissmer, CEO of the start-up. The business believes that the processing of this information, on a continuous and global basis, will enable opthamologusts to customize and improve the treatment of patients with progressive glaucoma.
The funds raised will finalize the registration of the device in the United States and China, and expand marketing to a wider geographical area while remaining focused through collaborating centers on the clinical application of the solution. The financing also expands the scope of clinical research and opens the databases with centralized information related to treatment for all users.