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 work on early detection of DPN. With the support of this grant, Dr. Soliz will develop a commercial prototype and seek FDA approval of i-RxTherm, his device for detecting DPN (diabetic peripheral neuropathy or diabetic foot). What Is DPN? DPN is the most common co-morbidity of diabetes: it affects up to half of all people l ..read more

What does it take to turn a great idea into a successful product? For VisionQuest’s vice president and principal investigator Vinayak Joshi (PhD), the journey from idea to commercial product has led him halfway around the world. Dr. Joshi recently traveled to Malawi, Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana as part of his efforts to commercialize ASPIRE, his device for the detection and diagnosis of malarial retinopathy. While in Africa, he met with leaders in government, philanthropy, and health care to better understand the stakeholder landscape and map out needs and priorities—in short, the path forward ..read more

VisionQuest Biomedical research scientist Jeff Wigdahl (PhD) was recently awarded a quarter-of-a-million-dollar Phase I grant from the National Institutes of Health for his project to revolutionize the BIO exam: “EyeStar-BIO: Software for Enhancing Digital Binocular Indirect Ophthalmoscopy Examinations.” How to Revolutionize the BIO Exam Popularized in the 1940s, binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy (BIO) is now routinely used by doctors to perform eye exams in the clinic. However, this method produces no photographic or video record of findings. In recent years, digital BIO headsets that incorpo ..read more

VisionQuest founder and CEO Peter Soliz (PhD) presented the poster “Detecting diabetic peripheral neuropathy utilizing thermoregulation biomarkers of the plantar foot” at the American Diabetes Association’s 82nd Scientific Sessions last Sunday in New Orleans. “I was so glad to be able to meet with colleagues and make new connections in person after not traveling for over two years,” says Dr. Soliz. “I enjoyed discussing my research with other attendees, and I’m looking forward to new collaborations as a result of this presentation.” You can find the PowerPoint version of the poster below. Plea ..read more

How much do you know about the development of your favorite products? What about the devices you encounter at your doctor’s office? So much of the work that goes into every single thing we use remains unseen by the user or consumer, from concept development to design to production. Algorithms, Software, and Data What goes into product development at a company like VisionQuest Biomedical? Many things, but three of the most important include algorithms, software, and data. “Algorithms,” says senior research scientist Vinayak Joshi, “can be acquired mostly from public platforms and open sources w ..read more

We have submitted our third Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) Program grant application to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In it, we describe our plan to commercialize i-RxTherm, our device for early diabetic peripheral neuropathy detection and diagnosis. Why We Developed i-RxTherm for Early Detection of DPN On their Diabetes Fast Facts website, the CDC reports that over 37 million Americans have diabetes. One in five are unaware of their condition. Furthermore, the diabetic population has more than doubled over the last 20 years, as the US population ages and becomes more obese ..read more

The plantar foot showing the pixel area we used to measure thermoregulation and assess biomarkers of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. We’re looking forward to presenting “Detecting Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Utilizing Thermoregulation of the Plantar Foot” at the upcoming 82nd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association. Our research aims to detect thermal (infrared) biomarkers of diabetic peripheral neuropathy on the feet of diabetic subjects who have not been diagnosed with DPN. By analyzing the regulation of blood flow by nerves in the feet of people diagnosed with diabetes ..read more

VisionQuest Biomedical Inc. announces that the company has used the EyeStar artificial intelligence (AI) software to screen over 40,000 patients for diabetic retinopathy at the Clínicas del Azúcar. Diabetic retinopathy screening examination using the EyeStar AI software at Clinicas del Azucar in Monterrey, Mexico. The EyeStar AI system screens patients for diabetic retinopathy and macular edema, conditions that lead to vision loss and blindness if left untreated. VisionQuest brought the EyeStar AI system to Clínicas del Azúcar in 2016, and since then the software has identi ..read more

VisionQuest has been awarded a $2M grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to commercialize ASPIRE, a device that uses AI for cerebral malaria diagnosis. Every year, up to 100,000 children in Africa die from cerebral malaria. Up to a third of fatal cases could be prevented by a more accurate diagnosis of the disease. ASPIRE includes AI software to detect retinal biomarkers (malarial retinopathy) that are highly specific to cerebral malaria, using digital fundus images captured by a low-cost retinal camera. The software’s diagnos ..read more

VisionQuest announced that on December 24, 2020, the company received 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the Image Quality Analyzer (IQA) software, which reduces unreadable images captured in teleretinal screening programs by retinal photographers. The IQA is a software system intended for use in importing, displaying, analyzing and managing images acquired with digital fundus cameras. The patented software detects the most common causes of retinal imaging artifacts: bright crescents, blurriness, and poor illumination. The software then prompts ..read more