UK health technology company Siloton is to develop its miniaturised eye-scanning chip for lunar and Mars exploration missions with the support of the European Space Agency (ESA; Contract: 4000151802/26/NL/PA/pt).
Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome, known as SANS, affects 70 per cent of astronauts aboard the International Space Station above Earth and can cause lasting damage to vision. For crews heading into deep space, it poses a serious medical risk
Diagnosis requires optical coherence tomography (OCT), which works in a similar way to ultrasound but uses light rather than sound waves. On Earth, it involves large, fragile, and heavy equipment. The OCT system adapted for the ISS currently weighs 30 kilograms. The planned crewed Artemis Base Camp, containing the first lunar surface habitat will be far smaller than the ISS, prompting further miniaturisation of equipment.
Siloton has used quantum technology to shrink core OCT components to fit onto a photonic chip smaller than a coin. The Siloton scanning system is the first to take an image of a patient retina using an integrated photonic circuit. The chip for space will be at the centre of an OCT system the size of binoculars and weighing less than two kilograms.
Siloton’s contract is made possible through the UK’s membership of ESA, which gives British businesses access to world-class space programmes and ensures that government investment in ESA brings cutting-edge space work back to UK firms.
ESA’s Medical Engineer Arnaud Runge said: “Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome is thought to be influenced at least in part by fluid shifting inside the skull in microgravity and can, in some individuals, cause lasting alterations to vision. Because we cannot fully replicate spaceflight conditions on Earth, to fully understand the effects of spaceflight, and monitor the effectiveness of potential future countermeasures, whatever diagnostic capability we have must be able to travel with the crew on long deep space missions. The OCT in development by Siloton is small enough and light enough to do that. It changes what is possible.”
Rebecca Evernden, Director of the UK Space Agency, said: “The eye condition SANS is a serious health risk facing astronauts on long missions, and until now there has been no practical way to diagnose it beyond Earth. Siloton is looking to change that, packing technology that once filled a room into a device you can hold in your hands. This is exactly the kind of world-leading innovation that British science does best, and I’m delighted that, through the UK’s contributions to ESA, a Bristol company is helping keep astronauts safe.”
Euan Allen, CTO of Siloton, said: “Astronauts living on the lunar surface for long periods or on a journey to Mars will need their eyes to be monitored as carefully as the spacecraft’s instruments. Our system, which is straightforward to use, does that without a doctor on board.
“For our contract with the European Space Agency we will be using our second-generation chip, BlueJay, which advances image quality over the previous generation. What we can now achieve with miniaturised OCT will help spaceflight, but equally patients with eye conditions here on Earth.”
Siloton’s first -generation chip-based system (GiraffeOCT) is being used in Australia to extend eyecare to remote regions and communities.
It is on a pathway for clinical use in health systems where it is expected to reduce waiting lists and costs for ophthalmic care by deploying imaging into new environments and use cases.
The devices will be simple enough to use at home for ongoing monitoring of conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, sending images automatically for review. This could further free up clinical time and reduce delays for patients waiting for initial diagnosis and treatment.
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Media enquiries:
Ben Hunt
pressoffice@siloton.com
+44(0)7762 608639
Note to editors
The expense, delicacy and dimensions of conventional optical systems has confined OCT for general use to specialist clinics. Siloton has translated a tabletop-worth of mirrors, lenses and fibre optics needed for conventional OCT onto an inexpensive chip smaller than a coin, shrinking OCT from the size of a freestanding cash machine to a handheld device.
About Siloton
Siloton is on a mission to ensure people with eye disease can receive sight-saving eye scans wherever and whenever they need it. It seeks to make hospital-grade eye scans available and affordable to everybody, including for use in their own homes to monitor ongoing conditions. Siloton has received funding from Innovate UK that allowed the company to scale its commercial activities and develop products for use.
About the European Space Agency
The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space.
ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
ESA has 23 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia are Associate Members.
ESA has established formal cooperation with three Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.
By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions.
Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int.