This financing will be used to recruit additional software developers and sales staff, implement multiple large-scale pilot projects for diabetic retinopathy screening, and finalise regulatory approval for glaucoma screening. MONA.health is headed by CEO Olivier Ménage, a veteran in the sector who has previously held senior management positions at Fortune 500 Medical Device companies.
MONA's AI-based solution for screening diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular oedema is CE-certified and will be available to ophthalmologists in Europe by the end of this year.
"MONA.health applies an innovative approach to screening for eye diseases, including diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. We have incorporated the latest developments in artificial intelligence in this regard. Screening for eye diseases is currently generally done by an ophthalmologist using different techniques and pupil-dilating eye drops, which is uncomfortable for the patient. Screening for diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma is time-consuming and labour-intensive", explains Olivier Ménage, CEO of the company.
MONA provides standardised, accurate results using a 'simple' retinal camera without pupil dilation. MONA is 92.5% accurate for referable diabetic retinopathy and 94% accurate for macular oedema. Examination times are reduced to less than 4 minutes, and the results are available to ophthalmologists almost immediately. The accuracy of the results is comparable with that of the best-trained ophthalmologist.
MONA allows patients to be screened in time and allows ophthalmologists to improve their workflow, saving time for more complex treatments and procedures. MONA for diabetic retinopathy screening is currently being evaluated in four Belgian hospitals, with the E Clair clinical trial supported by the Diabetes League.
MONA represents a major innovation in glaucoma screening, a solution to one of the most pressing challenges in ophthalmology. Currently, one in two patients with glaucoma goes undiagnosed. These patients are at risk of losing their eyesight. This is partly due to the financial cost and the time it currently takes to screen for glaucoma.
MONA's AI for glaucoma screening (patent pending) will transform clinical practice. Glaucoma screening will take just a few minutes, will be less inconvenient for the patient, and will be much cheaper. This will make it much more accessible for patients, and free up more time for ophthalmologists for treatment and follow-up.
MONA will be supplied as software (as a service solution) or as software with a retinal camera (as an all-in solution).