LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Inventages announces that one of its portfolio companies, Cognoptix, has demonstrated unprecedented accuracy in detecting Alzheimer's disease. A multi-site clinical trial of the SAPPHIRE II eye test showed a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 95% in differentiating Alzheimer’s disease patients from healthy volunteers.

The Cognoptix test involves a simple eye test that detects beta-amyloid, the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. This test is significantly differentiated from other blood or imaging tests in being:

• Simple and non-invasive to perform
• Quick, taking less than 5 minutes
• Detects the defining hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, not a surrogate biomarker
• Generates an easy to interpret result
• Cost effective (costing a fraction of the cost of PET imaging)

These unique features will enable the widespread use of the SAPPHIRE II system in non-specialist centers with the potential of becoming a much needed early detection system for Alzheimer’s disease.

“These clinical results give us a great deal of hope that we will eventually be able to intervene early in the course of Alzheimer’s disease, well ahead of the manifestation of symptoms,” said Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D., Vice President, Medical and Scientific Relations, Alzheimer’s Association. “The Cognoptix eye test is designed to be a simple but reliable system of early-stage diagnosis to allow treatment before significant neuronal loss and irreversible brain damage occurs,” said Paul Hartung, President and CEO of Cognoptix.

“Due to the huge unmet clinical need, Inventages has a strong interest in brain health and in particular Alzheimer’s disease. We recognize that early detection is critical to the better management of Alzheimer’s patients and the development of new drugs. Consequently, we are very excited by these unprecedented results and by the potential impact that this simple office-based test could have on this terrible disease. Particular credit should be given to the Cognoptix team who has always strived for excellence in this challenging indication,” said Dr Gunnar Weikert, Managing partner of Inventages and Cognoptix Board Director.

The study results will be presented at the Clinical Trials Conference on Alzheimer’s disease (CTAD) in November 2013

About Inventages

Inventages Venture Capital (www.inventages.com), one of the world’s largest life science venture capital firms, focuses on products for the management chronic diseases. Brain health is core within Inventages’ investment focus, in particular the huge unmet clinical need of Alzheimer’s disease. Inventages has also invested in Accera, a Colorado-based company that has developed a novel therapeutic (Axona™) for the management of Alzheimer’s disease (www.about-axona.com).

About Cognoptix

Cognoptix (www.cognoptix.com), a privately held medical technology company headquartered in Massachusetts, is focused on developing and commercializing an in-office, drug/device diagnostic system as an aid in the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease.