The rising life expectancy of EU citizens is creating a dramatic increase in age-related degenerative diseases and associated healthcare costs. The MOON Project (Multi-modal Optical Diagnostics for Ocular and Neurodegenerative Disease) meets this societal challenge by applying photonics to diagnose age-related diseases of the eye and central nervous system.
MOON will design and build a multi-band, multimodal and functional imaging platform combining label-free molecularly sensitive Raman spectroscopy with high speed and high-resolution Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), for in-depth diagnostics of ocular and neurodegenerative diseases.
MOON will enhance OCT through the development of a disruptive laser technology that enables wide-field structural and functional imaging.
MOON will establish a reference database for molecular biomarkers of addressed diseases that enables, for the first time, in-depth molecular-specific diagnosis of retinal diseases and neurodegenerative pathologies based on Raman spectroscopy.
The MOON system will be validated in vivo in a clinical setting through close collaboration between clinicians and commercial partners. The clinical validation will establish the diagnostic accuracy of the multi-modal platform, while also verifying the ease-of-use needed for widespread adoption.
MOON is driven by unmet medical user needs in diagnostic imaging with a clear business case addressing the highly promising ophthalmic market of early and in-depth molecularly sensitive diagnostics of retinal and neurodegenerative diseases.
The three industrial partners cover the complete value/supply chain. MOON aims to bridge the gap between research and product development, thereby expediting the commercialization of the MOON technologies, strengthening the participating companies, and creating a competitive advantage for the European photonics market.