Gutteye application improves the scoring of Fuchs distrophy
Fuchs dystrophy is a degenerative eye disease that affects the cornea. It occurs when the endothelial cells of the cornea gradually die off, causing fluid buildup that can lead to blurred vision. In some cases Fuchs distrophy might leads to a cornea graft. Fuchs distrophy is actually the leading indication for keratoplasty in the world.
The global prevalence of Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy (FECD) in the adult population has been estimated to be as high as 7.33% according to a systematic review and meta-analysis. This prevalence varies by age and gender, with higher rates observed in females compared to males.
Currently, physicians use the modified Krachmer grade (1 to 6) to evaluate the evolution of the pathology. This mannual grading is considered to be subjective and lacks sensibility.
The evolution of FECD can also be measured by looking at the guttae in specular imaging of the cornea. The evolution of the size of these guttae can be quantified in an automated, reproductible and sensitive manner.
Together with Dr Mark Greiner and his team in the University of Iowa, ADCIS developed Gutteye, an application that automates the segmentation of guttae in specular microscopy images of the cornea and support a more granular grading of Fuchs distrophy pathology.
Gutteye automatically segments guttae in specular microscopy imaging to support a sensitive FECD grading and its longitudinal tracking
A state of the art application for longitudinal patient monitoring
Gutteye is an up-and-running application that has been designed to cover a large range of professional feature to better grade and trace FECD patients :
- Automatic segmentation of guttae
- Edition tool for manual update of the proposed segmentation
- Guttae Area Ration (GAR%) calculation
- Longitudinal tracking of the GAR% & grading for a given patient
- Averaging of the score across different images
- Alignment of images for longitudinal tracking & dynamic tracking
- Cell tracker to align overlaping part of images taken at different timeslots
Automatic image allignement : Since guttas are not evenly distributed across the cornea, it is essential to be able to compare the evolution of the GAR% FECD score over time in common cellular areas.
Longitudinal tracking of the GAR% & grading
Benefits of Gutteye for CROs and pharmaceutical companies
Many research groups have been working for several years on new treatments for Fuchs’ dystrophy, including eye drops, injections, and medications. All of these treatments are now ready to move on to the next phase: clinical studies.
The current classification matrix, the modified Krachmer grade (mKg), comprises six grades. With such a classification system, clinical trials could take up to 10 years to measure significant variations between grades. The subjectivity of the mKg scale is also a concern, as it is not considered a highly effective reproducible measure. Thanks to automated, quantified, and sensitive calculation of GAR%, Gutteye offers a unique opportunity to accurately measure the progression of the disease in the short term.
Gutteye is attracting the attention of all CROs and pharmaceutical companies currently preparing to launch clinical trials for the treatment of Fuchs’ dystrophy!
