Novartis Canada’s ongoing efforts with Montreal-based Innodem Neurosciences illustrates the important role that novel scientific partnerships play in addressing complex diseases such as MS.Getty Images
An ongoing study involving Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. (Novartis Canada) and Montreal-based digital biomarker and AI company Innodem Neurosciences illustrates the important role that combined scientific efforts play in addressing complex diseases.
According to a March 25, 2024 press release, an ongoing longitudinal observational trial supported by Novartis Canada, which involves Innodem’s ETNA-MS technology, is investigating the potential utility of biomarkers to monitor MS disease status.
MS progression is typically assessed using magnetic resonance imaging technology, which focuses on new or growing brain lesions. Innodem’s Eye Tracking Neurological Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (ETNA-MS) technology turns an iPad Pro into a medical device capable of capturing eye movements that can indicate subtle changes of disease progression.
The work between Novartis Canada and Innodem seeks to accelerate the path towards a reliable, non-invasive and accessible marker of MS disease progression. The study is pursuant to the longer-term goal of clinicians to detect MS progression earlier and facilitate real-time treatment optimization strategies tailored to a person’s unique journey with MS.
In the press release, which announced Health Canada’s approval of ETNA-MS, Novartis Canada vice president Neurosciences Erin Keith said, “Through our commitment to reimagine medicine and cross-sector collaboration, we are taking innovation in MS beyond therapeutics, paving a path to much needed solutions that Canadians deserve. I am excited to see what the future holds.”
With more than 90,000 Canadians – or one in 400 people across Canada – living with MS, Canada has one of the world’s highest rates of this devastating neurological disease.
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