Our Science

The OPTICA trial (Ocular Proteomics Testing In Chronic Geographic Atrophy) is a first-in-human study led by Dr. David Almeida, testing the safety and feasibility of anterior chamber paracentesis (ACP) to collect eye fluid for proteomic analysis in patients with geographic atrophy.
This minimally invasive procedure enables unprecedented insight into the molecular and cellular mechanisms of dry AMD—without damaging tissue.

• Phase 1 Safety Study
   
• Funded by ClinOmicsAI and The Centers for Advanced Surgical Exploration
   
• Based at CASExERIE, Erie, PA
   

Key Outcomes:

• Early detection of molecular dysfunction in retinal cells
   
• Potential identification of protein signatures predictive of AMD progression
   
• Secure sample storage for future genetic and AI analysis
   

[View Study Summary] →

Developed by Dr. Vinit Mahajan and collaborators at Stanford University, TEMPO integrates single-cell transcriptomics with AI and proteomics to pinpoint which cells are driving disease.

Breakthroughs Enabled by TEMPO:

• Identification of over 5,900 proteins in aqueous and vitreous fluid
   
• AI-generated “proteomic clocks” to predict molecular eye age
   
• Detection of Parkinson’s-related proteins in eye fluid
   
• Molecular tracking of diabetic retinopathy progression
   
• Early evidence of aging before structural changes appear
   

“These findings give us a molecular MRI of the eye. We can now identify disease drivers before symptoms appear—and even after they are treated.”
— Dr. Vinit Mahajan
 

[Explore the TEMPO Study] →