Critical Health

Prof. Cunha-Vaz receives the 2012 BIAL Award of Clinical Medicine

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:07:00 GMT

Prof. Cunha-Vaz, AIBILI’s President and Retmarker’s Scientific Advisor, is the winner of the 2012 BIAL Award of Clinical Medicine for his work "Diabetic Retinopathy: new perspectives for personalized treatment."

The work highlights the importance of identifying patients in risk by means of biomarkers that allow predicting the progression of Diabetic Retinopathy in the early stages.

The Micronaneurysm Turnover, provided automatically by Retmarker software, is a biomarker for Diabetic Retinopathy worsening, a very useful tool for those caring for diabetics. The automated analysis from Retmarker only requires non-invasive colour fundus photography to provide such assessment.

Established in 1984, the Bial Award has been rewarding relevant health professionals from different countries, fostering the basic and the clinical research in the area of health. Taking place every two years, it is one of the most prestigious awards of scientific research in the area of health in Europe.

National Television interview with Professor Cunha-Vaz about the BIAL Award (Portuguese version only).

RetmarkerDR used in a proposed Surrogate Outcome for Diabetic Retinopathy Progression

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 10:41:00 GMT

The March 2013 issue of Immunology, Endocrine and Metabolic Agents in Medical Chemistry (formerly 'Current Medicinal Chemistry - Immunology, Endocrine and Metabolic Agents') publishes an article entitled 'Surrogate Outcomes for Progression in the initial Stages of Diabetic Retinopathy'. The publication underlines the importance of evaluating treatment options for the earlier stages of the disease, since currently treatment options are only available for more advanced stages. Furthermore, the study stresses the existing need in clinical trials that test drug efficacy to have surrogate outcomes associated with clinically accepted outcomes.

The study concludes that Microaneurysm Turnover, calculated with RetmarkerDR, is particularly useful as a Surrogate Outcome for the earlier stages of Diabetic Retinopathy. Moreover, it is precisely for these early stages that surrogate outcomes are most useful, as it is the case for clinical trials or research on drug treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy.

More details about this publication can be found here.

Microaneurysm Turnover article published at Current Biomarker Findings

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 11:38:00 GMT

The article from AIBILI reports on the value of using the automated analysis from RetmarkerDR to calculate Microaneurysm Turnover at the Macula, as a biomarker for diabetic retinopathy worsening. Furthermore, the conclusion also shows that besides the risk of worsening, the MA turnover automatically calculated can also be indicative for long term and short term predictions.

A biomarker for diabetic retinopathy worsening is a very useful instrument for those caring for diabetics. The automated analysis from Retmarker only requires non-invasive fundus photography to provide such assessment.

This journal from Dove Press (Volume 1 published in 2011) is one of the most thriving and dynamic publications in the field of biomarkers. It is a member of ResearGate network, DOAJ and OAIster, and a paradigm in the new wave of open access, peer reviewed scientific publications.

More details about the study can be found here.

Publication in 'Diabetes Care' recognizes that Retmarker "predicts risk of development of CSME"

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 14:23:00 GMT

We are thrilled to share with you the findings of a recent publication by AIBILI in Diabetes Care (Impact Factor 8,1). The published study shows that Microaneurysm Turnover calculated at the Macula using the automated analysis of RetmarkerDR can predict the risk of development of Clinically Significant Macular Edema in person with mild non-proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy.

This prospective study followed up 348 eyes/patients for 24 months, with several examinations performed at every visit, including optical coherence tomography, glycosylated haemoglobin and fundus photography, the latter submitted for automated analysis with Retmarker technology.

The conclusion shows that Retmarker automated analysis can predict which eyes are at higher or lower risk of developing CSME, a sight-threatening complication of Diabetes. Moreover, the large cohort analysed, the fact that the study was conducted in a prospective manner and the ease of performing fundus photography (a non-invasive procedure) are strong indications of the usefulness of Retmarker in clinical practice.

More details about this publication can be found here.

Critical Health presented Retmarker at the VIII CAO

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 11:03:00 GMT

CAO is the annual meeting of the Portuguese licensed Optometrists (APLO). Critical health was present at the eighth edition that took place in Coimbra, Portugal, on the 17th and 18th of November.

More than 200 Optometrists participated in the event and had the opportunity to learn about Retmarker technology. In particular it was possible to experiment and verify how Retmarker family of products can contribute to their practice. Retmarker automated analysis technology proves to be a valuable tool in helping to monitor pathologies that can lead to vision loss when untreated.

Details about the APLO and VIII CAO can be found here (Portuguese language only).

RetmarkerDR recommended for initial stages of Diabetic Retinopathy

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 14:25:00 GMT

The German magazine Der AugenSpiegel published an article highlighting the importance of early detection of retinal changes in Diabetics, in order to prevent the onset of vision threatening conditions. The article also points out the difficulty of complying with yearly screening due to the increasing prevalence of Diabetes.

Dr. Christos Haritoglou from the Ludwig Maximillians University Hospital (LMU Munich) describes how RetmarkerDR has been validated on a retrospective study conducted by his team. The conclusion of the article is that the RetmarkerDR automated analysis tool proves to be valuable in a screening context, successfully identifying patients at higher risk of developing CSME.

More details about this publication can be found here (German language only).

Critical Health Invited to Open Session at EURETINA'12

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 13:15:00 GMT

The organization of the 12th EURETINA (Milan, 6-9 October 2012 invited Critical Health to participate in an Open Session on the topic "Diabetic Retinal Screening enters the 21st Century - New Technology for Old Problems".

Critical Health has shared the experience of the systems implemented in the central region of Portugal, where the Retmarker technology has already helped to screen over 20.000 patients. Additionally, some concepts of how to bring Retmarker technology to conveniently help more diabetics manage their condition have also been presented.

Details about Euretina'12 Open Session can be found here.

VII Jornadas Engenharia Biom�dica

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 10:41:00 GMT

Universidade do Minho is organizing the 7th edition of the biggest Biomedical Engineering Meeting in Portugal. Critical Health has been invited to give a lecture on existing challenges for Biomedical Engineers in the work environment.

Critical Health has had both a close cooperation with several universities in R&D projects but also incorporates a motivated group of dedicated staff (the majority being biomedical engineers). It is a great pleasure to provide academics with feedback and to motivate graduate students to participate and propose new projects and ideas.

A Critical Health juntou-se � campanha da APDP: �Juntos vamos dar a cara pela Diabetes�

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:26:00 GMT

Através desta iniciativa a Associação Protectora dos Diabéticos de Portugal (APDP) procura dar continuidade ao trabalho desenvolvido junto das pessoas com diabetes onde já assistiu mais de 100 mil pessoas. A campanha tem também como função sensibilizar as pessoas para uma doença que já atinge um milhão de portugueses, sendo que 400 mil têm diabetes e não o sabem.

A campanha é nacional e todas as pessoas, com ou sem diabetes, são convidadas a aderir. Para ser sócio basta ligar o 213 816 107 ou efetuar a inscrição através do site www.apdp.pt

Critical Health was elected Microsoft BizSpark Startup of the Day

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:39:00 GMT

Critical Health was recognized by the Microsoft BizSpark initiative as Startup of the Day. Full details online at their website here.

Critical Health Innovation in Retinal Disease Management at EURETINA'11

Mon, 23 May 2011 17:26:00 GMT

Critical Health will be at the 11th EURETINA Congress (Booth 509, Level 5), taking place in London from 26th to 29th May, to showcase its latest innovations in retinal disease management to Ophthalmologists worldwide.

Recent results that will be presented at EURETINA corroborate previous
findings on the Microaneurysm Turnover biomarker.

See the english Press Release here.

Critical Health showcases Retmarker and Medisoft in XVIII Pan-American Course of the PAAO

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 18:05:00 GMT

Critical Health will be showcasing Retmarker decision support products and Medisoft's Ophthalmology Electronic Medical Record in the XVIII Pan-American Course of the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (Booth 035; 07th to 9th April; Estoril; Portugal).

Critical Health incorporates Medisoft's Electronic Medical Record solution

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:59:00 GMT

Critical Health has complemented its portfolio with a specialized Ophthalmology Electronic Medical Record. The company set up a partnership with UK's leading provider, Medisoft, to commercialize their solution in Portugal, Spain and Latin America.

See the Portuguese Press Release here.

Retmarker receives Cotec-Unicer honourable mention for innovative products

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 18:08:00 GMT

Retmarker was distinguished with an Honourable Mention in the COTEC‐UNICER Award for Innovation Products – an event supported by the Expresso Newspaper. The 7th COTEC National Innovation Encounter was dedicated to the theme “The Innovator’s DNA” and took place on May 31^st in Estoril – Portugal.

See the english Press Release here or the portuguese version here.

Critical Health and Retmarker certification

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:02:00 GMT

Critical Health's is an approved Manufacturer of Medical Devices according to EC Directive 93/42/EEC Annex II, Article 3. The company's Quality Management System was certified by TÜV Rheinland according to EN ISO 13485:2003 + AC:2007 and EN ISO 9001:2008.

Retmarker was approved as Medical Device, entitled to display the CE 0197 mark.

See the english Press Release here or the portuguese version here.

Critical Health wins at the "European IT Excellence Awards"

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:33:00 GMT

Critical Health won an award at the European IT Excellence Awards in the category for Information Management, with one of its Retmarker product – Retmarker AMD. See the english Press Release here or the portuguese version here.