Descripción del proyecto
Luz centelleante para frenar la aparición de la enfermedad de Alzheimer
Los tratamientos disponibles para la enfermedad de Alzheimer (EA) no son eficaces ni logran frenar el daño encefálico progresivo e irreversible. Indicios recientes señalan que el uso de luz centelleante no invasiva puede eliminar el péptido amiloide β, una de las características patógenas distintivas de la EA, y proporcionar protección neuronal. El equipo del proyecto BRIGHT, financiado con fondos europeos, llevará a cabo un estudio de viabilidad para un nuevo tratamiento con luz blanca centelleante que puede estimular los receptores visuales y la corteza visual en seres humanos. La luz blanca se crea mediante la combinación de ledes de diferentes colores y no causa fatiga como la luz estroboscópica. El tratamiento propuesto podría retrasar la aparición de la EA, reducir su prevalencia y los costes asociados.
Objetivo
While Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a global pandemic, it has been estimated that a five-year delay in the disease onset could reduce the disease prevalence – and its costs – by up to 33% over the next decades, representing potential savings over €100bn in EU alone. However, there are still significant roadblocks ahead as current drugs do not untap sizeable improvements in AD patients. This is primarily due to the challenge of minimizing the impact of irreversible brain damage in later dementia stages, which accentuates the need for early intervention. However, recent evidence shows that non-invasive flashing (stroboscopic) light at the appropriate frequency (40 Hz) promotes clearance of beta-amyloid – whose accumulation is believe to be one of the key triggers to the neurodegenerative cascade leading to dementia states.
Instead of using fadigue-inducing stroboscopic flashing light (i.e. on-off), the founding members of OptoCeutics have devised a unique, patent-protected method to stimulate the human visual receptors and processing cortex through alternating white light composed of different wavelengths. The two variants of the white light are formed by different combinations of coloured LEDs. When flickering between the two LED sets, the colours fusion together and appear as one, resulting in approximately the same white colour, avoiding experiencing light flashing, but the brain is capturing the blue component flashing with 40 Hz – thus still promoting neuro-protective beta-amyloid clearance.
OptoCeutics will leverage from BRIGHT as a vital stepping stone to prepare the company’s business strategy, serving also to significantly de-risk its route-to-market by enabling to liaise with major industrial and clinical players to define both the optimal productization and maturation of Optoceutics core technology, as well as the setup for its full-scale demonstration and certification, prior market roll-out.
Ámbito científico
Programa(s)
Convocatoria de propuestas
Consulte otros proyectos de esta convocatoriaConvocatoria de subcontratación
H2020-SMEInst-2018-2020-1
Régimen de financiación
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinador
1610 KOBENHAVN V
Dinamarca
Organización definida por ella misma como pequeña y mediana empresa (pyme) en el momento de la firma del acuerdo de subvención.