neuroClues®, a Franco-Belgian medTech specialized in diagnosing neurodegenerative diseases, announces a 5 million Euros funding round led by White Fund and the EIC Accelerator program of the European Commission, alongside existing investors Invest.BW, and Business Angels such as Fiona du Monceau, President of the Board of UCB, Artwall, or Olivier Legrain, CEO of IBA. This financing will enable the startup, incubated at iPEPS, the Incubator and Business Nursery of Paris-Salpêtrière, to expand into European and North American markets.
With this funding round, the startup will have raised a total of 12 million Euros, including a 4.7 million Euro round in 2021 and 2.5 million Euros in grants from the European Commission’s EIC Accelerator. The startup has also been selected to receive up to 9 million Euros in capital through the EIC Fund. neuroClues® is also the winner of the HealthTech For Care innovation Prize, awarded in October 2023 in Paris by Bernard Hinault.
The only eye-tracking solution developed for primary care medicine
After three years of development, neuroClues® has implemented a new technology based on eye movement analysis, or eye-tracking, to diagnose neurodegenerative diseases earlier than currently possible.
This solution includes an innovative headset controlled from an intuitive interface. Placed in front of the patient’s eyes, the headset can record up to 800 infrared images per eye per second while the patient follows a moving point on a screen. Compact and portable, this analysis tool meets the needs of both daily practice and research.
As simple as the “follow my finger” test, it analyzes eye movements within minutes to identify precise, objective, quantifiable, and non-invasive biomarkers.
These biomarkers help determine neurological disorders (Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, etc.) several years before the onset of clinical symptoms such as memory loss or tremors.
A major challenge when considering that neurodegenerative diseases, which are constantly increasing, are often misdiagnosed and diagnosed late. Indeed, evaluation is usually given when the stage of neurological degradation is already advanced. For Parkinson’s disease alone, one in four patients is misdiagnosed and waits an average of 13 months before receiving a diagnosis. When diagnosed, they are left with only 35% of dopamine-producing neurons. These issues will only worsen as the number of affected patients doubles over the next decade, reaching 13 million by 2040. The global market addressed by neuroClues® is currently estimated at 2.5 million doctors using eye movement observation to assess the neurological status of their patients during clinical consultations.
Parkinson’s disease: neuroClues® is at the heart of the Iceberg study by the Brain Institute
Since the fall of 2023, a subset of patients in the Iceberg scientific cohort, led by Professors Marie Vidailhet and Stéphane Lehéricy of the Brain Institute at La Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, has been benefiting from a prototype of neuroClues® technology. This opens new hopes for Parkinson’s disease research, both in terms of diagnosis and long-term patient monitoring. neuroClues® indeed helps researchers quantify disease biomarkers much more simply and extremely accurately.
Indeed, subtle alterations in eye movement parameters can precede the onset of gait and balance disturbances, detecting early dysfunction in brain circuits in Parkinson’s disease before symptoms appear. This detection will enable earlier implementation of care by enhancing patient capabilities (compensation). This may involve, for example, physical and sports training, monitoring, and management of risk factors: the patient becomes their own therapist!
Pr Marie Vidailhet, Neurology Professor at the Pitié-Salpêtrière and head of the “Mov It” team at the ICM
Parkinson’s disease: what is the situation?
A major clinical milestone demonstrated in a poster presented at the Society for Neuroscience
At the Society for Neuroscience’s annual conference in October 2023, neuroClues® presented preliminary evidence of a test for preclinical diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. Indeed, neuroClues® identified an ocular test, named Mask-Induced Inhibition, whose results allowed distinguishing a patient with Parkinson’s disease five years before the confirmation of their diagnosis by imaging. Further studies are needed to validate this hypothesis, which is nonetheless extremely encouraging.
Goal: FDA market authorization in 2024 in the United States and CE marking in Europe in 2025
With this new funding round, neuroClues® founders aim to expand into Europe and North America. To do this, the company will file applications to obtain FDA authorization in the United States in 2024 and CE marking in Europe in 2025. neuroClues® will be marketed initially to neurologists and neuro-ophthalmologists. The company aims to help more than 10 million patients worldwide by 2032, ultimately enabling general practitioners and vision professionals to use this technology for screenings.
This fundraising round and the very positive clinical data from the study with the Brain Institute are strong signals that reinforce our vision. We want to change the game in terms of diagnosing and managing neurodegenerative diseases. Currently, it takes about a year to confirm the diagnosis of these diseases. We are going to significantly reduce this delay. We are in the process of creating the ‘stethoscope of the brain’ that will improve patients’ lives.
Antoine Pouppez, CEO and co-founder of neuroClues
White Fund is delighted to announce its investment in neuroClues, a company that aligns perfectly with our investment strategy and our commitment to supporting innovative medtech startups in Belgium, which are close to market. With the technologies it develops, neuroClues has the potential to transform the early detection of neurodegenerative diseases and offer more effective treatments to millions of people worldwide.
Eric Brandt, Co-director of White Fund
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