Oculogica Adds to IP Portfolio with Patent for Assessment of Impairment Due to Cannabis

NEW YORK, May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oculogica, a leader in concussion diagnosis and categorization, with the only FDA-cleared technology that aids in the diagnosis of concussion without a pre-injury baseline test requirement, announced today the granting of U.S. Patent No. 11,013,441 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. This patent protects Oculogica's method and system for assessing impairment due to cannabis and other substances, using a non-invasive eye-tracking system. This is Oculogica's 8^th patent in the U.S. In addition to this patent, Oculogica is spearheading the largest clinical study ever conducted to evaluate the impact of cannabis on eye-tracking.

"With this new patent and the clinical study, Oculogica has the opportunity to address an unmet need to assess acute cannabis impairment. Current cannabis detection methods are based on identifying the presence of cannabis in the body. Cannabis can stay in the system for weeks, so these methods are not indicative of acute cannabis intoxication. They also do not provide insight on impairment due to cannabis intoxication," said Oculogica CEO, Rosina Samadani, Ph.D. 

Manufacturers and other employers are seeking a tool for the new environment in which cannabis is legal for both medical and especially recreational purposes. Alex Lawton, CEO of The Lawton Standard Co. (a platform of metals companies), commented, "We are looking for a way to differentiate between being under the influence and having something in your system.  We are not the moral police, but we absolutely do want to keep our people safe while at work. Marijuana in particular has made it more difficult to hire and retain otherwise qualified people. The situation poses conditional morality issues that we, and many in industries like ours, don't like to contend with."

Oculogica's groundbreaking cannabis impairment test, the CannaBOX, takes 90 seconds, is non-invasive, and provides instant results. The company is launching beta trials of CannaBOX this summer at The Lawton Standard Co. plants. The technology is expected to be commercially available later this year.

Oculogica currently holds seven other patents in the U.S. This intellectual property portfolio has enabled them to be the first, and still only, aid in diagnosis of concussion authorized by the FDA that does not require a pre-injury test for a broad range of ages in both pediatrics and adults. They received this first FDA clearance in December 2018. They also hold patents for measuring elevated intracranial pressure, biometric identification of patients, and glaucoma detection. This expansion of their patent portfolio contributes to the continued growth of the company, and establishment of their technology as a brain dysfunction categorization tool.

About Oculogica

Oculogica Inc. is an eye tracking-based, neuro-diagnostic company founded by Dr. Uzma Samadani, a neurosurgeon at Centracare and the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, and Associate Professor of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the University of Minnesota School of Engineering. The company has developed the EyeBOX, the first and only FDA cleared baseline-free aid in diagnosis of concussion to help physicians objectively categorize concussion. EyeBOX is a 4-minute test for ages 5 to 67. EyeBOX is used by leading healthcare organizations, including Midwest Orthopedics at Rush University, the clinics of the President of the California Brain Injury Association, and others. To learn more about the company and the EyeBOX, visit www.oculogica.com.

Media Contact: Viridiana Juarez
Email: [email protected]