Objetivo
The ambition of the MERLIN project is to improve in-depth diagnosis and therapeutic follow-up of diseases that impact the eye’s retina. To do so, the MERLIN partners will deliver a novel medical imaging device able to detect pathological alterations in the retina with highly enhanced sensitivity and specificity.
The medical applications of this device encompass a wide range of retinal pathologies, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), as well as chronic vascular conditions, including diabetes. AMD and diabetic retinopathy (DR) are the leading cause of blindness worldwide in people over 55 years of age. Such diseases slowly develop at the microscopic scale in the retina. Using current imaging techniques, it is difficult to detect them at early stage, and it often takes months to assess the effects of treatments. These limitations hinders both the clinical management of patients and the investigation of new therapies.
In order to overcome these issues, the device developed in MERLIN will for the first time enable doctors to examine the retina with multiple imaging modalities at both the macroscopic and microscopic scales. Modalities will include ultrafast scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO), optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCT-A), while ultrahigh resolution will be provided by adaptive optics technology. This unique combination will reveal previously invisible cellular and microvascular retinal detail in 3 dimensions. The project partners will also develop advanced image processing software for the visualization and quantitative analysis of microscopic structures, and conduct experimentations to optimize and validate performance in AMD and DR patients.
As the feasibility of this diagnostic approach has previously been demonstrated in another European R&D project (FP7 FAMOS, 2012-2017), MERLIN will translate the technology from a preexisting laboratory prototype to a nearly commercial device usable in clinical trials.
Ámbito científico
Programa(s)
Tema(s)
Convocatoria de propuestas
Consulte otros proyectos de esta convocatoriaConvocatoria de subcontratación
H2020-ICT-2017-1
Régimen de financiación
IA - Innovation action
Coordinador
91400 Orsay
Francia
Ver en el mapa
Participantes (6)
1090 Wien
Ver en el mapa
08860 Castelldefels
Ver en el mapa
3015 GD Rotterdam
Ver en el mapa
3400 Hillerod
Ver en el mapa
75654 Paris
Ver en el mapa
Entidad jurídica distinta de un subcontratista que está afiliada o vinculada jurídicamente con un participante. Dicha entidad lleva a cabo su trabajo en las condiciones establecidas en el acuerdo de subvención, proporciona bienes o presta servicios para la acción, pero no firma dicho acuerdo. El tercero acata las normas aplicables a su participante en virtud del acuerdo de subvención en lo que respecta a la subvencionalidad de los costes y el control de los gastos.
75571 Paris Cedex 12
Ver en el mapa