I-SCREEN: Northern Ireland
Research type
Research Study
Full title
I(eye)-SCREEN: A real-world AI-based infrastructure for screening and prediction of progression in age related macular degeneration (AMD) providing accessible shared care: Northern Ireland
IRAS ID
343220
Contact name
Ruth Hogg
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen's University Belfast
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
NCT06351657, Additional NCT registration
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 4 months, 31 days
Research summary
The aim of I(eye)-Screen is to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-based decision support system for screening and monitoring of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) at an early stage before vision loss occurs. Late AMD is the leading cause of legal blindness >50 years with 110 million individuals at risk. The study brings together a multidisciplinary consortium including a network of clinical retina experts, computer scientists working at the cutting edge of AI development, an infrastructure of community-based opticians/ optometrists and an SME experienced in digital platform performance to develop innovative and trustworthy AI tools for broad, realtime AMD screening and monitoring. To find key markers in early AMD that indicate a patient is at high risk of progressing to late AMD, we will use Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) images, a high-resolution, effortless imaging modality that provides a detailed characterization of the retina. Innovative AI approaches for medical imaging will be developed to enable data-efficient and robust learning from longitudinal OCT data to systematically analyse data volumes and identify (sub)clinical markers of disease activity. Clinical sites throughout Europe will collect a longitudinal cohort serving for calibrating and fine-tuning algorithms using the high-end OCT device available at eye clinics. Innovative AI technology will then be created to transfer the detection and monitoring tools to low-cost devices used in next door opticians’/ optometrists’ offices. The timing of the project perfectly fits the recent regulatory approval of the first therapy to halt progression of the major dry type of AMD. This project may pave the way for an AI-based “shared care” strategy between high street optometrists and hospital-based ophthalmologists. This would facilitate timely diagnosis and prompt treatment which is the best predictor of maintaining good vision despite progression to late stages of AMD.
REC name
East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 1
REC reference
24/ES/0074
Date of REC Opinion
18 Nov 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion