OptoTree is a retina disease clinical diagnostic biomarker company. It was formed by Bio-Tree Systems Inc. (“Bio-Tree”) to bring Bio-Tree’s patented Vasculomics^® micro-vascular analytics technology / software platform to the quantification and early-stage disease (and disease severity) detection of retina diseases, starting with Diabetic Retinopathy ("DR").  Like many other diseases, DR expresses itself through increasingly abnormal micro-vascular patterns, starting with Non-Proliferative DR (NPDR), which progresses to Proliferative DR (PDR), which eventually leads to damaged and leaky blood vessels in the retina, the condition known as Diabetic Macular Edema or DME. Vasculomics^® focuses on the very early micro-vascular changes signaling progression from healthy retina to early-onset of Non-Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (NPDR). It also quantitatively measures and automatically detects characteristic micro-vascular disease severity patterns at different stages of the disease. DR is one of the most prevalent diabetes disease complications and is the world's leading cause of blindness in adults. 

Technology: OptoTree's Vasculomics^® platform technology is a mature, fully working, extensively tested and applied in customer applications, platform. It is currently used by applying unique micro-vascular-derived biomarker and informatics designed to automatically detect and quantify unique 3D micro-vascular geometry/morphology patterns in pre-clinical organs indicating disease presence and response to therapy. The underlying technology has been in commercial use since 2010 providing oncology drug discovery services to large pharmaceuticals and biotechnology companies through analysis and quantification of the effects of discovery-stage oncology compounds on the 3D micro-vascular structure of tumors and organs in small animals. It is protected by an actively growing, world-wide portfolio of 40+ filed and issued patents, including over 1,000 claims allowed.

Adapting the existing Vasculomics^® platform to OCT-A scanners and the Retina: The Vasculomics® platform was designed to process 3D data sets produced by a variety of tomographic scanners to detect and very precisely reconstruct for geometric and morphologic analysis organ-specific 3D micro-vascular trees.

As a result, OptoTree is well along in adapting the existing Vasculomics® platform to process non-invasive 3D OCT-A scanner-based retina vascular datasets of patients at different stages of DR. Furthermore, the analytical micro-vascular metrics already developed and utilized to analyze tumor angiogenesis in oncology are directly applicable to analyze 3D OCT-A retina scans since, both cancer (tumor angiogenesis) and retina vessel angiogenesis are very similar in vascular structure and are currently being treated with the same classes of anti-angiogenic VEGF inhibitors - Avastin, Lucentis, Tarceva, Eyelea, etc.

The DR Market: Approximately 415 million people worldwide have diabetes and this figure is projected to increase to 642 million by 2040. DR affects over 40% of people with diabetes and prevalence increases the longer one has diabetes. The global diabetes epidemic outstrips the availability of trained retina specialists and ophthalmologists capable of performing the number of examinations required using present methodologies. OptoTree's Retina Vasculomics^® Platform is expected to provide a scalable automated solution for screening, early diagnosing, therapy optimization, personalization and monitoring for this substantial, at-risk population.  

About 95% of cases having the potential for severe vision loss due to DR can be treated by appropriate and timely care. OptoTree believes its Retina Vasculomics^® Platform solution will enable practitioners to screen, diagnose and treat NPDR much earlier than is currently possible (at the very early onset), opening the opportunity of stopping or slowing the disease before significant damage occurs. OptoTree is also expected to open the possibility for "precision medicine" in the retina, enabling to combine diagnosis and therapeutics optimization (DX/RX combinations) for patient-specific personalized precision medicine.

DR-based Annual Revenue Opportunity: OptoTree estimates its addressable market to be $2.9 billion in the US (assuming a $50 fee per eye analyzed) and $8.3 billion globally (assuming a $10 fee per eye analyzed). By comparison, the recent Medicare reimbursement rate for diabetic retinopathy by Fundus photography is about $85 per eye and by fluorescein angiography is about $150 per eye. OptoTree plans to initially roll out its Retina Vasculomics^® Platform through the Joslin Diabetes Center. It will also establish Vasculomics^®-based biomarkers distribution relationships with strategic partners (starting with the OCT-A scanner company currently in alliance discussions) and later will roll out the solution to other targeted patient and ophthalmology groups.

1. Can we raise the necessary funds via Crowd Funding? What is the process and what should be the expectations in terms of timing? Is there any advantage to go the Crowd Funding route vs. organized Angel Groups?
   
2. At what stage of market penetration should we publish our Diabetic Retinopathy diagnostics results in scientific publications in order to develop awareness to our solution while minimizing the risk of creating competition despite filed patents?
   
3. Which is a better strategy to reach the market:
   
   A. Deploy by ourselves and directly via leading Diabetes / Ophthalmology medical centers?
   I. If we take this route how should we share in the revenues?
   
   B. Form partnerships with OCT-A scanner companies and deploy via their installed base?
   I. If we take this route how should we share in the revenues?

6:30 - Cocktails & Dinner (Cash bar and special 2-entree buffet menu)

8:00 - Raul Brauner, CEO, will deliver the Company's "Elevator" Pitch to the Group

8:20 - A Panel will address three major issues crucial to helping the Company reach the next level.

9:00 - Open discussion: members and guests

Our Sponsors

<Top of the page>

Questions or Coments?

Contact: Peter van der Kam,

peter@rxpcci.com | (610) 296-8086

Good Company! Good Drink! Good Food! Good Program! Good Fun!

Site Navigation

HOME  |  ABOUT PCCI  |   DIRECTIONS  |   BRIDGEWATER DIRECTIONS  |   JOIN US  |   BOARD MEMBERS  |   AFFILIATES  |  NEXT MEETING  |  ARCHIVES

PROFILES CALENDAR OF EVENTS  |  BRIDGEWATER CHAPTER  |  FEEDBACK / COMMENTS  |   CONTACT US

Pharmaceutical Consulting Consortium International, Inc.,

info@rxpcci.com or (610) 296-8086

Meetings Held at Embassy Suites - Valley Forge

888 Chesterbrook Blvd, Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania 19087

All content on this website is copyrighted and should not be reproduced without the consent of PCCI.

© Copyright 2016-2018