C. Light Technologies Wins Roche MS Innovation Challenge to Develop Eye Movement Biomarkers for Multiple Sclerosis Progression
Key Insights
C. Light Technologies (search) has been selected as one of five projects funded through the Roche MS (search) Innovation Challenge to develop eye movement biomarkers for multiple sclerosis (search) progression detection.
The company will launch a two-year clinical trial with UCSF and Sutter Health using their FDA-cleared Retitrack (search) technology to identify fixational eye movements (search) as non-invasive biomarkers for MS (search) progression.
The study aims to determine if microscopic eye movement changes can predict progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA (search)) earlier than current standard measures like EDSS (search) and MRI.
C. Light Technologies (search) has been selected as one of five project teams to receive funding through the Roche MS (search) Innovation Challenge, a global initiative designed to accelerate breakthroughs that improve the lives of people with multiple sclerosis (search). The AI-driven healthtech company will use the funding to launch a two-year, multi-site clinical trial partnering with leading MS centers at UCSF and Sutter Health in Palo Alto, California.
Revolutionary Eye Movement Technology
The clinical trial will utilize C. Light's proprietary Retitrack (search)™ scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO) technology, which is the first FDA 510k-cleared retinal eye-movement monitor. The study aims to identify hard-to-detect, fixational eye movement outputs as non-invasive biomarkers for MS (search) progression, recording eye movements at five timepoints over the course of two years.
The Retitrack (search)™ technology captures one of the smallest motor movements the human body can make—fixation, which consists of tiny, involuntary eye movements that can be smaller than half the size of a human hair. The device measures this movement with a 10-second, non-invasive eye scan that requires no eye dilation.
Targeting Progression Independent of Relapse Activity
The study will specifically aim to correlate changes in microscopic eye movements with subtle signs of PIRA (search) (progression independent of relapse activity), including individuals already treating their condition with B-cell depleting therapies. Researchers will determine if Retitrack (search)™-detected fixational and saccadic eye-motion changes can predict PIRA earlier than the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS (search))—the widely accepted standardized measure providing a quantitative evaluation of MS (search) disability level—and MRI.
C. Light has demonstrated in earlier research studies that fixational eye movements (search) change with MS (search) and correlate with EDSS (search) progression, providing the scientific foundation for this expanded clinical investigation.
Clinical and Regulatory Milestones
"We are creating an entirely new stream of data for healthcare," said C. Light Founder and CEO Christy Sheehy-Bensinger. "Why wait until ambulation and mobility are already impacted in a patient to document disease progression and disability? Let's use the subclinical changes of oculomotor function and fixation to detect subtle MS (search) progression as soon as it occurs."
In July, the American Medical Association (AMA) clinical board granted C. Light a new CPT code (1010T) for retinal eye tracking, which will become effective for clinical use on January 1, 2026. This regulatory milestone opens the door for potential insurance reimbursement for Retitrack (search) scans.
Transforming MS Drug Development
C. Light's Chief Medical Officer Jacqueline Theis, O.D., F.A.A.O., emphasized the broader implications of the technology: "Retitrack (search)'s ability to quantify microscopic fixational eye-movement changes offers a new lens on PIRA (search) and MS (search) detection—one that could shorten trial endpoints, refine therapeutic evaluation, and enable more personalized patient monitoring. This is the kind of bench-to-bedside innovation that has the power to transform both the science of drug development and the lived experience of MS."
Company Expansion and Partnerships
In May, C. Light closed an oversubscribed $3 million seed extension round led by a large North American family office to fuel their upcoming FDA clinical trial to add AI-powered disease detection capabilities to their device. The company has raised more than $8 million in total funding with major investors including Yamaha Motor Ventures and Creative Ventures.
C. Light is also participating in the DayOne Accelerator in Basel, Switzerland, a three-month hybrid program that prepares startups to launch successful partnerships with pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Sheehy will attend their Innovation Showcase on December 10 and 11 at the Roche campus in Basel, Switzerland.
The company has received three grants from the National Institute of Health and additional funding through the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, reflecting the broader applications of their eye-tracking technology beyond multiple sclerosis (search).