Verana Health and Bitfount Join Forces to Enhance Patient Selection for Eye Clinical Trials

Verana Health and Bitfount Collaborate to Simplify Prescreening for Ophthalmic Clinical Trials

On October 8, 2026, Verana Health®, a pioneer in digital health focused on advancing patient care and clinical research through real-world data (RWD), announced a strategic alliance with Bitfount, an on-premise federated AI analysis platform. This collaboration aims to revolutionize the prescreening process for patients eligible for ophthalmic clinical studies, making it both faster and more precise.

Innovation in Clinical Trials

Verana Health’s CEO, Sujay Jadhav, emphasizes the importance of utilizing real-world data in clinical trials, stating that such trials built on a firm foundation are less likely to face issues like mismatched enrollments and costly delays. By enhancing the patient identification process, this partnership aspires to streamline the clinical trial workflow significantly.

The integration of ophthalmic imaging and electronic health record (EHR) data is expected to yield quicker and more accurate identification of qualified patients. This collaborative method has recently been validated through clinical studies conducted at Moorfields Eye Hospital, a well-respected institution in the field.

How It Works

Under this partnership, locations involved in the trials will assess patients' eligibility based on a combination of integrated imaging and EHR data, meticulously measuring these against criteria specified in the study's protocol. Results of the prescreening can be inspected in Verana’s HIPAA-compliant platform, Verana Trail Connect (VTC). This platform provides participating sites with pre-validated lists of patients, complete with their imaging qualification status.

Bitfount's system enhances this prescreening by appending an imaging eligibility flag on the patients assessed, using AI to analyze existing Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) or fundus scans locally. This flag appears alongside the standard EHR-derived eligibility criteria, thereby ensuring a comprehensive pre-screening evaluation.

Reducing Risks and Enhancing Efficiency

One of the main benefits of this combined prescreening approach is its potential to greatly improve the efficiency of ophthalmic studies and hasten patient enrollment. The integration serves to mitigate risks associated with manual chart reviews and reduce scrutiny by eliminating unnecessary screening failures. Notably, this is accomplished without interfering with existing imaging systems or compromising data privacy standards.

Sujay Jadhav's vision for this collaboration is echoed by Blaise Thomson, the CEO and co-founder of Bitfount, who asserts that by harnessing unique RWD alongside advanced OCT and fundal image analysis, they are enabling research teams to design and conduct studies that accurately mirror the actual demographics of patient populations. This will lead to the development of treatments that truly meet the needs of patients.

Access to Extensive Patient Data

Verana Health boasts exclusive access to RWD from the American Academy of Ophthalmology IRIS® Registry, which encompasses a wealth of longitudinal data spanning over 12 years with insights on more than 90 million de-identified patients from over 15,000 contributing clinicians. This extensive data resource is pivotal in advancing clinical research, optimizing treatments, and enhancing patient outcomes.

Ophthalmic imaging techniques, such as OCT and fundus photography, play an integral role in diagnosing and managing eye conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and macular degeneration. These methods provide clear, non-invasive cross-sectional images of critical eye structures, aiding healthcare professionals in delivering timely and accurate diagnoses.

Looking Ahead

The strategic partnership between Verana Health and Bitfount heralds a new era in ophthalmic clinical trials, echoing a commitment to transform how patient data is utilized in research. Those interested in this groundbreaking approach are encouraged to visit veranahealth.com or join Verana Health at Booth 2301 during the AAO 2026 Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA, from October 9 to 12. To schedule a meeting beforehand, interested parties can click on the available link.

For more updates on clinical trials and advancements in ophthalmology, keep exploring new innovations that enhance patient care and support.