Boston Globe Names REBIScan Co-Founder a Top Innovator

CAMBRIDGE, MA--(Marketwire - Jun 12, 2012) - David G. Hunter, MD, PhD, co-founder of REBIScan, Inc., was named a top innovator in the state of Massachusetts for 2012. The Boston Globe selected Dr. Hunter in a state well known for its world-class physicians and cutting-edge medical breakthroughs.

Dr. Hunter and colleagues developed a laser eye scan that detects vision loss in preschool children before parents or pediatricians can tell that there is a problem. REBIScan has a product currently in development, with an anticipated release in 2013, that will offer pediatricians an alternative to manual testing with an eye chart and flashlight. The scanner automatically detects amblyopia (also known as "lazy eye") and strabismus (misaligned eyes), the leading causes of vision loss in children.

"Vision loss from amblyopia is fully treatable if the condition is detected early, and yet about half of all cases go undiagnosed using existing technology, causing permanent vision loss," said Hunter, who is also Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, Ophthalmologist-in-Chief at Boston Children's Hospital, and was named one of Boston Magazine's Top Doctors of 2012. "When we are able to put this technology into the hands of pediatricians, we will be able to eliminate this silent theft of a child's eyesight."

REBIScan, Inc. (www.rebiscan.com), a medical device and data analytics firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is working to achieve FDA clearance for the device. The company, which was also named a finalist in the 2011 MassChallenge competition, developed the pre-commercial design in collaboration with Continuum, Inc.

The Boston Globe, an internationally recognized daily newspaper and the winner of 21 Pulitzer Prizes, publishes the Top Innovators feature as part of its annual Globe 100 magazine.