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Partners

roche
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In collaboration with

Ophthalmology Innovation Challenge & Pilot Program

We are looking for cutting edge solutions for ophthalmology patients!

The Challenge is closed for submissions.
View winner and finalists below.

Apply Now
View recording of the Global Showcase Final Event
View Informational Webinar

Partners

roche
start up nation central


In collaboration with

Roche, Start-Up Nation Central & Beilinson Hospital share a common vision of providing enhanced digital health solutions  that will significantly improve retina patients’ lives and support their caregivers by enabling monitoring, enhancing patient support, and optimizing screening & diagnosis.  

The Roche for a Better Future Ophthalmology Innovation Challenge & Pilot Program is a groundbreaking platform that will enable you to conduct a real-life pilot in Beilinson Hospital to test your solution. You will enjoy full support, including access to a multidisciplinary team of leading experts that will assess your solution, a comprehensive mentorship package, a fast-track for submission to the Helsinki Committee and global exposure. 

The Winner

Winner

Notal Vision

Notal Vision is a commercial stage patient-centric digital healthcare provider of remote monitoring services that extends age-related macular degeneration (AMD) monitoring from the clinic to the home, providing eye care professionals with remote diagnostic tools to support their patient care. With a proven approach to home-based, self-operated diagnostics, AI-enabled data analysis, and patient engagement services, Notal Vision helps to preserve patients’ vision long-term. The Home OCT pipeline platform developed at the company’s Tel Aviv Technology Center will support personalized treatment by monitoring disease activity and treatment response remotely reducing office visits burden on patients and caregivers and promote therapy adherence.

For more informationabout neurosteer

The Finalists

AEYE

AEYE Health is a venture-backed digital health startup that develops AI algorithms for autonomous interpretation of fundus images for various ocular and systemic conditions. Its flagship product, AEYE DS is an FDA cleared algorithm for the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy.

Its products put the power of retinal screenings in the hands of primary care physicians which enables early detection for the prevention of vision threatening complications.

For more information about SENSI.AI
bioT

BioT Medical, a leader in cloud-powered medical devices, has partnered with Zilia, a medical technology company specializing in non-invasive ocular biomarker measurement. This strategic alliance combines BioT’s expertise in connecting devices with healthcare systems and Zilia’s advanced ocular oximetry technology. Aimed at revolutionizing retinal disease management and patient care, the partnership focuses on early detection, personalized treatment, and continuous monitoring. By integrating spectroscopy, imaging, artificial intelligence, and seamless data communication, this collaboration seeks to enhance healthcare delivery, making it more efficient, accessible, and tailored to individual needs in the field of ophthalmology.

For more informationabout שומר ראש
gistmd

GistMD is an AI-based patient education and engagement platform that empowers patients and drives adherence along their care journey.

By providing personalized content and behavioral change tools, GistMD manages to achieve patient activation which leads to improved health outcomes. Personalization is achieved in multiple dimensions, such as Language, gender, age, culture, medical background, medication, behavioral and more.

GistMD is deployed in numerous healthcare centers and hospitals and showing evidence-based results of improved adherence, improved operational efficiency, reduced staff burnout, and improved patient satisfaction rates.

For more information about SENSI.AI
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

The CASMIP Laboratory at the School of Computer Science and Engineering, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the Hadassah University Medical Center have jointly developed a novel AI-based solution for the accurate diagnosis of Inherited Retinal Dystrophies based on optical images. The solution, based on novel methods for deep learning image processing, will assist in the early diagnosis of patients and in the screening prior to genetic testing. It will also support the diagnosis in locations where genetic testing is unavailable or is not routinely performed. The technology holds promise for the diagnosis of other types of retinal diseases.

For more informationabout שומר ראש
Xoltar

XOLTAR develops AI companions that emulate the one-on-one interactions nurses have with patients, guiding individuals in maintaining the healthy habits necessary to manage their medical conditions. XOLTAR implements evidence-based protocols through free-guided conversations conducted over telehealth calls. These conversations are truthful, grounded, and aligned, yet provide a seamless and free-flowing patient experience. This staff augmentation solution enhances support teams with AI companions capable of acting as co-pilots. They replicate support protocols, connect to the CRM, and seamlessly extend the support staff, while generating unparalleled insights from the extensive video data produced during these conversations, all at an unlimited scale and with 24/7 accessibility at a marginal cost.

For more information about SENSI.AI
Xoltar

XOLTAR develops AI companions that emulate the one-on-one interactions nurses have with patients, guiding individuals in maintaining the healthy habits necessary to manage their medical conditions. XOLTAR implements evidence-based protocols through free-guided conversations conducted over telehealth calls. These conversations are truthful, grounded, and aligned, yet provide a seamless and free-flowing patient experience. This staff augmentation solution enhances support teams with AI companions capable of acting as co-pilots. They replicate support protocols, connect to the CRM, and seamlessly extend the support staff, while generating unparalleled insights from the extensive video data produced during these conversations, all at an unlimited scale and with 24/7 accessibility at a marginal cost.

For more informationabout שומר ראש

What Will You Gain From The Program?

Access and exposure to a network of Roche global experts

A special session with the Israel Innovation Authority

Investment opportunities for your company - the program will be widely globally communicated and promoted by Startup Nation Central

The Winner will implement a one-of-a-kind real-life pilot in Beilinson Hospital, with a fast track for submission to Helsinki Committee

A comprehensive mentorship package, by leading experts from the clinical and business development worlds

Pilot funding - up to 200,000 NIS

(VAT included, subject to the program’s Official Rules)

50,000 NIS for pilot preparation

Up to 150,000 NIS for conducting a pilot at the Retina Unit, Beilinson Hospital

Comprehensive mentorship package

3 mentorship hours with a medical expert from the Retina Unit, Beilinson Hospital

3 additional mentorship hours with experts from Beilinson Hospital, including a fast track for submission to the Helsinki Committee

3 mentorship hours with Dr. Irit Yaniv, Co-founder and CEO, Almeda Ventures

Apply Now
Application is now closed Application is now closed

The Challenge

Roche for a Better Future seeks innovative digital health solutions for Ophthalmology patients with retinal diseases (AMD, DME, DR & RVO), aiming to enhance support for patients and caregivers.

Areas of focus:

Follow-up & monitoring

For example: Remote monitoring of visual acuity or OCT in retinal patients, Insights generation - analyze patient data (text, imaging) to predict progression of retina diseases

Patient support & awareness

For example: Disease management optimization, Patient adherence to treatment regime, Patient awareness

Detection optimization

For example: Screening patients with high risk for retina diseases, Diagnosis of retina diseases

Additional Considerations

We welcome solutions with a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5 and above.

Solutions should be compatible for a pilot at Beilinson Hospital of Clalit Health Services.

Preference will be given  to solutions addressing the first two areas of focus (i.e. follow-up & monitoring, and patient support & awareness). 

Good solutions will address at least one of these areas of focus, while great solutions will tackle more than one including infrastructure technologies.

We will prioritize technologies and digital health solutions that are able to integrate to the Electronic Medical Records (EMR), based on FHIR. 

Timeline of the Challenge

14.9.23
Applications open
31.12.23
Applications close  
13.2.24

Finalists notification

28.2.24

Finalists Pitch to Advisory Committee

4.3.24

Global showcase event with the finalists. View recording!

Apply Now

Advisory Committee

Prof. Rita Ehrlich

Prof. Rita Ehrlich
Hagit Hendel

Hagit Hendel 
Prof. Anat Loewenstein

Prof. Anat Loewenstein
Prof. Itay Chowers

Prof. Itay Chowers
Prof. Sascha Fauser

Prof. Sascha Fauser 
Neta Gruber Perry

 Neta Gruber Perry
Dr. Irit Yaniv

Dr. Irit Yaniv
Prof. Ran Gilad-Bachrach

Prof. Ran Gilad-Bachrach
Prof. Rita Ehrlich

Prof. Rita Ehrlich

Prof. Ehrlich is professor of ophthalmology at the faculty of medicine at Tel Aviv university and is head of ophthalmology at the faculty of medicine at Tel Aviv university. She is the director of the retina service at Rabin Medical center.

She is a member of the Israeli Ophthalmological Society committee and head of ophthalmology of IMA’s Online School for the Medical Professions. She performed a 2 year clinical research fellowship on retinal blood flow at Indiana university and a 2 year of vitreoretinal fellowship at Auckland, New Zealand. She leads the pediatric retina clinic at Schneider children’s medical center.

Her research focuses on clinical research both in the field of medical as well as surgical retina. She is PI in multi center studies performed at Rabin medical center in the retina field.

Hagit Hendel

Hagit Hendel 

Hagit is the Chief Innovation Officer of Rabin Medical Center, one of Israel’s largest hospitals. She is a member of the Rabin Medical Center Management team, responsible for digital transformation, innovation, planning and execution of IT projects. She is the head of project MANOR, overseeing the transition of all Clalit Health hospitals to the latest SAP ISH modules. Led the development of a new innovative real-time departmental patients dash-board called ELMA – system is fully implemented and operational; won multiple awards and accolades. She is actively leading collaboration around groundbreaking medical innovation between Rabin Medical Center and companies like Intuitive Surgery, Intel, IBM, Zebra, AIDOC and several others, and led Rabin Medical Center and Microsoft joint team to winning first place at the Microsoft Israel Hackathon – the team demonstrated innovative approaches for preventing elderly people from falling and consequent injuries.

Prof. Anat Loewenstein

Prof. Anat Loewenstein

Prof. Loewenstein is a professor of Ophthalmology, Chairman of the Division of Ophthalmology at the Tel Aviv Medical Center, Sidney Fox Chair of Ophthalmology at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, President of the Israeli Ophthalmological Society and the President Elect of the Euretina board. Her main field of interest is the investigation of drug administration and toxicity to the retina, early detection of macular degeneration and home monitoring of retinal disease. She has been leading several cutting edge technologies implemented in large scale clinical trials and in clinical setting

Prof. Loewenstein published more than 450 papers in peer reviewed journals, and contributed multiple chapters to ophthalmology textbooks. She serves as the Editor in Chief of the Journal Case Reports in Ophthalmology, is an associate editor of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science Journal, European Journal of Ophthalmology and of Ophthalmologica.

Prof. Itay Chowers

Prof. Itay Chowers

Professor Chowers serves as the Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Hadassah Medical Center and holds the Jonas Friedenwald Chair in Ophthalmological Research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is a retina specialist, dedicated clinician-researcher, and leads a research laboratory and an Ophthalmic clinical research center. Professor Chowers has earned a place as a member of the Israeli National Academy for Science in Medicine and the 8400 Health Network. He has also held leadership roles in professional organizations, including past chairmanship of the Israeli Society for Vision and Eye Research (ISVER) and the Israeli Retina Society. Additionally, he serves as an integral member of the Executive Committee of the International AMD Genomic Consortium (IAMDGC), contributes to the research committee of the Macula Society, and participates in the review board for the Bright Focus AMD program. Professor Chowers’ primary research focus revolves around retinal diseases, with a particular emphasis on age-related macular degeneration (AMD). His investigations delve into the underlying mechanisms of AMD, aiming to uncover innovative biomarkers and therapeutic approaches for both the atrophic and neovascular forms of the condition. To achieve these goals, he employs a multidisciplinary approach that encompasses genetics, cell biology, and cutting-edge computational methodologies, including artificial intelligence-based analysis of omics data, imaging, and clinical information. His research endeavors are supported by numerous competitive grants and fruitful collaborations with industry. Professor Chowers co-authored over 140 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Furthermore, his work has led to the establishment of three start-up companies, all stemming from the insights gained through his research pursuits.

Prof. Sascha Fauser

Prof. Sascha Fauser 

 Sascha is the  Vice President and Global Head of Ophthalmology, pRED, Roche. He joined Roche in 2016 as the Head of the pRED Ophthalmology group. Prior to joining Roche, Sascha worked as a Professor of Ophthalmology (vitreoretinal surgery) at the University Hospital of Cologne, Germany. As a physician-scientist with more than 20 years of experience in clinical ophthalmology and more than 25 years in basic retinal research, he has extensive knowledge of clinical and research leadership with the acquisition of major grants. Sascha earned his doctorate at the University of Tübingen and completed an ophthalmology residency, as well as fellowships in surgical and medical retina, at the University Hospital of Cologne, Germany.

Neta Gruber Perry

 Neta Gruber Perry

Neta Gruber Perry is Head of Health-tech & Europe Desk Director at the International Collaboration Division of the Israel Innovation Authority, where she creates and leads collaboration opportunities for Israeli startups with a variety of international partners, with a special focus on Health-tech and Climate-tech. Neta has diverse experience in the fields of innovation, research, business development and social entrepreneurship, spanning private, public and non-profit sectors. She holds a BA (Honors) in Amirim Interdisciplinary Excellence Program and International Relations from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a Master of Public Policy from the University of Oxford and is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Program.

Dr. Irit Yaniv

Dr. Irit Yaniv

Dr. Yaniv is Co-founder and CEO, Almeda ventures, the first HealthTech focused public R&D partnership.
As a senior manager, skilled physician, and experienced board member, she possesses a highly developed combination of leadership, decision making and business skills. She served as an Executive Director and Chairperson of Accelmed’s Innovation Hub portfolio companies. She is a co-founder of We@healthtech, a program aiming to propel junior women managers to executive positions in the health tech sector by mentoring them and putting them through an eight-month program of lectures and networking events.

Prof. Ran Gilad-Bachrach

Prof. Ran Gilad-Bachrach

Professor of Bio-Medical Engineering, Head of Digital Sciences for Hi-Tech,Tel-Aviv University

Prof. Ran Gilad-Bachrach leads the MLwell lab, in the Bio-Medical Engineering Department at Tel-Aviv University. The lab studies machine learning and its applications for health and wellbeing. Ran is the head of the Digital Sciences for Hi-Tech program at Tel-Aviv University, a member of the steering committee of Clinical Bioinformatics Program at the Safra Center, and a member of Sagol Brain Research Center.  Ran earned his Ph.D. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Ran was a researcher at Intel Research, Bing, and Microsoft Research. In 2019 Ran Joined Tel-Aviv University as an Associate Professor. Ran published over 40 papers in the leading venues of machine learning and AI. Among his contributions are machine-learning algorithms that preserve privacy, algorithms for parallel training, algorithms for learning on graphs and sets, methods for using AI to help people cope with mental stress, and many additional contributions.

About Retinal Diseases

Retinal diseases are a major cause of visual impairment and blindness, especially among older individuals and diabetic patients. The prevalence of those diseases is increasing  due to aging populations and the global  rise in diabetes. There is a growing need for better treatments and enhanced digital health solutions to support  patients in  preserving their vision so that they can witness the most precious moments in life with their loved ones. 

Digital health may offer promising solutions to reduce clinic visits, improve treatment adherence, enable personalized care and optimize the management of retinal diseases, leading to better patient outcomes, reduced healthcare burden and enhanced well being.

For more information about retinal diseases

Partners

roche
start up nation central
clalit

In Collaboration with

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רשות החדשנות
ALMEDA VENTURES

FAQ

The Roche for a Better Future Ophthalmology Innovation Challenge & Pilot Program is a groundbreaking platform that will enable you to conduct a real-life pilot in Beilinson Hospital to test your solution. You will enjoy full support, including access to a  multidisciplinary team of leading experts that will assess your solution, a comprehensive mentorship package, a fast-track for submission to the Helsinki Committee  and global exposure.

We are looking for digital health solutions that will significantly improve retina patients’ lives and support their caregivers by enabling monitoring, enhancing patient support, and optimizing screening & diagnosis.

This challenge is not equity nor investment focused. 

Privately held companies formed and registered under the laws of Israel with a company ID (חפ), or technology transfer offices/entities of non-profit and/or governmental entities (such as universities, hospitals and sick funds) (“TTO/s”), which develop a project/solution as defined by the Challenge and who have applied for patent protection underlying the technology subject of such project/solution. 

We welcome solutions with a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5 and above.

English will be the official language.

The challenge will have both online and physical/hybrid presence, which will be communicated in advance.

For the meeting with the Advisory Committee, one person will be required to pitch the startup and solution. It is important to have a team member that can address all questions from the Advisory Committee members.

For the mentoring meetings, we advise at least two team members of your startup, one business-oriented and another more tech-oriented to be able to cover all types of conversations in the 1-on-1 sessions.

If your startup is pre-selected after the online applications, you’ll be invited to:

  • A complimentary pitch training and camera workshop preparation sessions prior to the final event
  • A 3.5 hours meeting with the Advisory Committee, Roche Israel & Start-Up Nation Central that will take place at Start-Up Nation Central HQ, 28 Lilienblum, Tel-Aviv   (28.2.24, 9:00-12:30 Israel Time). In person attendance is a must.
  • A Pitch before a local & global audience, as part of a hybrid final event that will take place at Start-Up Nation Central HQ, 28 Lilienblum, Tel-Aviv (4.3.24, 17:00-19:00 Israel Time). In person attendance is a must.
  • A special session with the The Israel Innovation Authority(IIA), introducing the IIA funding programs (Date TBD, IIA offices, 14 Klausner street, Tel-Aviv).

If your startup is the winner, you will have the opportunity to implement a one-of-a-kind real-life pilot in Rabin Medical Center, with a fast track for submission to the Helsinki Committee.

You will receive a comprehensive mentorship package, by leading experts from the clinical and business development worlds including: 

  • 3 mentorship hours with a medical expert from the Retina Unit, Rabin Medical Center
  • 3 additional mentorship hours with experts from Rabin Medical Center, including a fast track for submission to the Helsinki Committee 
  • 3  mentorship hours with Dr. Irit Yaniv, Co-founder and CEO, Almeda Ventures.

 

In addition you will receive 50,000 NIS for piloting preparation and up to 150,000 NIS for conducting a pilot at the retinal department, Rabin Medical Center.

The selection process will be managed by an Advisory Committee consisted of retinal medical experts, and representatives of Rabin Medical Center, Israel Innovation Authority, Roche global team, academia and venture capital. The committee will be focusing on ,the quality of your founding team, interest area fit, runway, does your solution address a real need, maturity and timeline, novelty & effectiveness and general impression, its compatibility to be performed at Rabin Medical Center.

Yes, definitely. You can apply with as many solutions you believe would fit and benefit the program. Each startup will require its own application.

Contact Us

If you have any questions please contact us:

Roche Pharmaceuticals (Israel) Ltd. All rights reserved © 2022

Roche Pharmaceuticals (Israel) Ltd. All rights reserved © 2023

Founded in 1896 in Basel, Switzerland, as one of the first industrial manufacturers of branded medicines, Roche has grown into the world’s largest biotechnology company and the global leader in in-vitro diagnostics. The company pursues scientific excellence to discover and develop medicines and diagnostics for improving and saving the lives of people around the world. We are a pioneer in personalised healthcare and want to further transform how healthcare is delivered to have an even greater impact. To provide the best care for each person we partner with many stakeholders and combine our strengths in Diagnostics and Pharma with data insights from the clinical practice.

For more information, please visit www.roche.com.

Start-Up Nation Central is the address for corporations, governments and investors to connect with the Israeli tech ecosystem. We catalyze growth opportunities by bringing Israeli tech innovation to global business and societal challenges. Established in 2013 and headquartered in Tel-Aviv, Israel, Start-Up Nation Central is a not-for-profit organization funded by philanthropy. 

 

For more information, please visit 
www.startupnationcentral.org

Rabin Medical Center for Innovation, Research and Development coordinates all research activities within the hospital, promoting initiatives across various medical areas and teams. They facilitate basic and clinical research, foster innovation through the Innovation Greenhouse, collaborate with external centers and companies, and utilize Clalit’s extensive Big Data reservoir. The center also focuses on digital innovation, applying artificial intelligence and advanced 3D printing technologies for innovative treatment solutions. Rabin Medical Center excels in medical research in Israel, conducting breakthrough studies and leading clinical trials. They collaborate with prestigious institutes worldwide, present results at national and international congresses, and publish over 250 research papers annually. Adhering to ethical standards, the center ensures participant safety and dignity. The Felsenstein Medical Research Center on the hospital campus enables basic research with direct clinical applications, while strategic partnerships, like the one with UT Southwestern, facilitate research and faculty exchange programs.

Rabin medical center combines Beilinson and Hasharon Ophthalmology centers. It is one of the leading and most advanced departments of ophthalmology in Israel providing comprehensive advanced medical care in all fields of ophthalmology. The retina service is a leading center in Israel that provides comprehensive service for all retina patients including vitreoretinal diseases performing larger amounts of surgeries including retinal detachments, vitrectomy for all indications, buckles and other advanced surgical procedures and techniques.  The medical retina treats all the range of retinal diseases including macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, uveitis, retinitis pigmentosa and retinal vascular diseases. The Retina service also includes a large and advanced imaging center with cutting edge multicenter studies.  

The society of Ophthalmologists in Israel was founded in 1928. Within the society, 11 scientific departments operate: retina, cornea, cataract, pediatric ophthalmology, neuro-ophthalmology, refractive surgery, glaucoma, oculoplastics, uveitis,Ocular oncology, and community ophthalmology. The society’s goals: developing and promoting ophthalmology in Israel, promoting the relationship between community doctors and hospital doctors, establishing professional standards, fostering the relationship between society members and maintaining a professional ethical level, making connections with international societies and spreading innovative knowledge among all society members

The Israel Innovation Authority, an independent publicly funded agency, was created to provide a variety of practical tools and funding platforms aimed at effectively addressing the dynamic and changing needs of the local and international innovation ecosystems. This includes early-stage entrepreneurs, mature companies developing new products or manufacturing processes, academic groups seeking to transfer their research developments to the market, global corporations interested in collaborating with Israeli technology, Israeli companies seeking new markets abroad and traditional factories and plants seeking to incorporate innovative and advanced manufacturing into their businesses.

 For more information, visit: The Israel Innovation Authority | Israel Innovation (innovationisrael.org.il/en). 

Almeda Ventures is the first HealthTech focused public R&D partnership. Almeda invests on a global basis while focusing on: medical devices, digital health and bio-convergence. Almeda was founded by Dr. Irit Yaniv, Amir Blatt and Tzahi Sultan in 2020; the fund invested in 10 companies so far. The team helps its portfolio companies to thrive using deep expertise, diverse background and extensive network with investors, strategics and medical centers worldwide. Almeda invests in exceptional teams with innovative solutions addressing major unmet needs with a proven clinical concept and business model. Almeda Ventures drives medical device and digital health companies for success by utilizing its extensive network and proven track record. 

For more information please visit:https://www.almedaventures.com/

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