Cascader Ltd. has completed a seed funding round led by Topcon Healthcare Inc. to advance its artificial intelligence technology and further explore the role of oculomics in the detection and management of eye disease, the company said. The company said it will use the capital to speed initial products toward market launch, expand its team and accelerate the development and delivery of its healthcare AI technology.
The spinout was formed through a partnership with Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Topcon Healthcare and UCL Ventures. Cascader aims to translate AI developed in research into real-world clinical applications at the intersection of eyecare, medical imaging and data science.
Advancing oculomics and clinical AI
Cascader’s initial focus is on macular diseases, including age-related macular degeneration, with plans over time to offer a broader range of AI tools for community optometry, high street settings and specialty clinics within hospitals. The company said its tools are intended to enable earlier and more accurate detection of eye disease while advancing oculomics, a field that may improve understanding of systemic health conditions such as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disease.
The company plans to use the new funding to align with global oculomics programmes, including Topcon Healthcare’s Healthcare from the Eye initiative. AI development at Cascader will be supported by access to curated datasets and computing infrastructure provided by Moorfields Eye Hospital’s INSIGHT Eye and Oculomics Health Data Research Hub, the announcement said.
“After more than a decade of developing pioneering AI and advancing the field of oculomics, we are fully focused on moving these technologies from research into real-world clinical care. Our AI will lead to earlier diagnosis and earlier treatment, saving people’s sight, both in the UK and around the world,” said professor Pearse Keane, chief scientific advisor and co-founder of Cascader; professor of artificial medical intelligence at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology; and consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital.
Cascader said the seed round, led by Topcon Healthcare Inc., will help the company accelerate its work translating oculomics and eye-care AI into deployable products.
