Clinical Feasibility & Usability Pilot Study
Collaboration with the American Macular Degeneration Foundation (AMDF)
12-Week Pilot Study Overview
Groupe Arex IA Inc. (a Montréal AI health technology startup) is preparing a 12-week clinical feasibility and usability pilot study in collaboration with the American Macular Degeneration Foundation (AMDF). The study will evaluate feasibility, usability, engagement, health-literacy support, and adherence to daily eye-healthy habits among older adults diagnosed with dry age-related macular degeneration.
Clinical Objectives & Study Endpoints
- AREDS2 Supplement Adherence: Measuring daily compliance rates with AREDS2 antioxidant formula intake supported by voice check-ins.
- Dietary Carotenoid Nutrition Tracking: Evaluating changes in dietary lutein and zeaxanthin intake using multimodal Gemini AI meal scanning.
- Health-Literacy & Engagement Support: Measuring patient comprehension of daily eye-healthy habits, lifestyle engagement, and weekly Amsler self-monitoring.
- Senior Usability & Acceptance: Validating voice-first speech dialogue (Google Cloud Neural2-F at 0.95x speed) among seniors with central vision loss.
Platform Architecture
The study platform, MacuCoach™ (https://macucoach.com), is built using Google AI Studio, Gemini multimodal models, Google Cloud Speech-to-Text and Text-to-Speech, Cloud Run, Firestore, Cloud Storage, and Vercel.
Principal Investigator & Contact
Lead Investigator: Dr. Mahmood Piraee, PhD, PharmD (Founder & CEO, Groupe Arex IA Inc.)
Email: mpiraee@arexai.ca
Collaborating Organization: American Macular Degeneration Foundation (AMDF)