VisionQuest Biomedical Wins $1 Million Grant to Commercialize System to Detect Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

Principal investigator Peter Soliz (PhD) will develop a commercial prototype and seek FDA approval of his device for the early detection of diabetic foot.

ALBUQUERQUE, NM, UNITED STATES, October 12, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- VisionQuest Biomedical founder and CEO Peter Soliz (PhD) has just been awarded a $1 million Commercialization Readiness Pilot Program (CRP) grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (part of the US National Institutes of Health) for his project “Thermal Imaging Modality for Detection of Large and Small Fiber Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy.” With the support of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant, principal investigator Dr. Soliz will develop a commercial prototype and seek FDA approval of i-RxTherm, his device for the early detection of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (diabetic foot or DPN).

DPN is the most common co-morbidity of diabetes: it affects up to half of all people living with diabetes and contributes directly to lower-limb amputations in over 100,000 Americans every year. Both diabetes and DPN disproportionately affect people of color, including those in Black, Latino, and Native American communities. The economic cost of DPN in the US exceeds $10 billion annually, and those with the disease experience direct medical costs 5 times higher than those with diabetes alone. Personal costs include decreased quality of life, frequent travel for medical care, and lower life expectancy—only 5 years for many people who have experienced a lower-limb amputation.

Because this disease is often asymptomatic in the early stages, its identification can lead to timely interventions and better long-term health outcomes for the many people affected. However, current diagnostic tools are invasive, expensive, and time-consuming, or they produce highly subjective results. VisionQuest’s patented device, i-RxTherm, detects the signs of DPN quickly, accurately, and non-invasively, thus providing a new and better tool for the early detection and diagnosis of this debilitating complication of diabetes.

DPN first affects nerve function in the hands and feet, and it also affects the blood flow controlled by these nerves, which respond to external changes in temperature. i-RxTherm records infrared (thermal) video of the blood flow to the bottom of a subject’s foot after their foot has been cooled with a gel pad. The software then charts temperature differences initially, after cooling, and during recovery. These graphs of rising temperature (i.e., increasing blood flow after removal of the cold pad) look different for subjects with and without DPN and show the physician which patients may require additional testing and treatment.

Dr. Soliz will be working with endocrinologists, podiatrists, and other physicians to finalize the commercial prototype and collect data needed for FDA approval of the device. “By partnering with medical experts, we will be able to create a tool that fits within the clinical workflow and provides quantitative data to the physician while producing little to no discomfort for the patient,” says Dr. Soliz. “As a diagnostic aid, this device has numerous applications in and beyond the primary care clinic, and we believe it will revolutionize DPN detection and care.”

About VisionQuest Biomedical Inc.: VisionQuest delivers innovative artificial intelligence–based imaging technologies that increase access to equitable, efficient, and cost-effective health care. CEO Peter Soliz (PhD) founded the company in 2007 to advance AI techniques that would assist health-care professionals in evaluating digital medical photographs. Initially, this work focused on retinal images that showed evidence of diabetic retinopathy—a common complication of diabetes and the leading cause of blindness in the working-age population. VisionQuest’s EyeStar software has since screened over 190,000 patients throughout Mexico for diabetic retinopathy. In 2020 VisionQuest received FDA 510(k) clearance for the patented Image Quality Analyzer, a tool that identifies and corrects poor-quality retinal images. VisionQuest is now applying retinal screening to the detection of malarial retinopathy in the sub-Saharan countries of Malawi, Kenya, and Nigeria. The company is also developing tools for the early detection of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (diabetic foot).

Visit VisionQuest’s website and LinkedIn page.

Sarah Soliz
VisionQuest Biomedical Inc.
+1 505-508-1994
ssoliz@visionquest-bio.com

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