ABOUT CHONDROMETRICS GMBH
Chondrometrics was founded in 2003 and is located at Freilassing, Germany, next to the Austrian border; it is a leading provider of medical image analysis for academia and industry. Using a regulatory compliant analysis pipeline, the company relies on MRI to offer quantitative imaging analysis of articular tissues and structural pathology, for research, epidemiological, and interventional studies, Its 20-year experience in high quality image segmentation has recently been supplemented with fully automated image analysis approaches, using deep-learning (AI) technology. The ultimate goal is to qualify imaging endpoints as surrogate markers of clinical outcome in clinical trials, mainly for the regulatory approval of disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs (DMOADs).
Where We Come From - Where We Are
Chondrometrics GmbH has been founded by Felix Eckstein and Reinhard Putz, as a spin-off from the Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München (Munich, Germany). In 2004, the company transitioned to Ainring, in the Southeast Germany, and in 2021 to its current location at Ludwig-Zeller-Str. 12, 83395 Freilassing, Germany, next to the border of Salzburg, Austria.
What We Do
Chondrometrics provides medical image analysis services to researchers in academia as well as in the medical device and pharmaceutical industry. The company relies on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to quantitatively analyze synovial joint structure and pathology, including (but not limited to) cartilage morphology and relaxometry (e.g., T2), meniscus morphology and relative position, bone size and shape, muscle and adipose tissue mass, synovitis, and properties of other musculoskeletal tissues. We have developed a highly efficient software platform and rely on a team of well-trained readers with >20 years of experience in manual segmentations of MRIs, and the Chondrometrics 3.0 software and reading process comply with current regulatory requirements. The company maintains a GCP-compliant quality management system that is certified according to EN ISO 13485:2021 by medical device certification GmbH (MDC) and is regularly audited MDC and other partners and clients. The software platform used represents a Class-IIa medical device product according to regulation (EU) 2017/745 (Annex IX). Chondrometrics recently started segmentation and analysis services using novel, fully automated technology using deep-learning (AI) approaches, specifically convolutional neural networks (CNNs). In this area, the company profits from a rich resource of tissues segmentations generated over the years by its expert readers that can be used for training and validation of versatile and specific models for automated analysis in various contexts.
Why We Do It
We use quantitative imaging measures to identify different “morpho-types” of human joints that may entail certain risk profiles and thus require adapted therapies for improved disease outcome. These endpoint also help investigating male-female differences in articular tissue anatomy and pathology, helping to better understand and appreciate sex-differences in osteoarthritis in general. They can further elucidate resilience towards joint disease through unraveling functional adaptation processes of articular tissues. Imaging endpoints in epidemiological studies can identify risk factors of incidence and progression in osteoarthritis. Eventually, these quantitative meassures may be qualified as surrogate markers for clinical outcome (measures of how a patient fees, functions, or [her/his joint] survives) in clinical trials, mainly for the regulatory approval of disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs (DMOADs).
What’s the Problem
Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of functional disability worldwide, affecting millions of people. This devastating degenerative joint disease causes structural changes in joint tissues, leading to pain, stiffness, and functional disability. Early diagnosis and careful clinical management are crucial to maintaining the patients' quality of life. With an aging population, the prevalence of osteoarthritis is bound to rise, stressing the need for effective and sustainable therapy. Apart from lifestyle changes and physiotherapy, current medical intervention is limited to managing pain. No medication is currently available to modify the structural pathology of articular tissues, disease-progression, and the natural history of osteoarthritis.
Where We Are Heading
The quantitative imaging measures developed and provided by Chondrometrics may be used in proof-of-concept (POC) trials of structural efficacy and safety. These may ensure that the intended mode-of-action (MOA) of a DMOAD targets the designated tissue, that the structural treatment effect is of sufficient magnitude to impact long-term clinical outcome, and that a potential sudden relieve in pain has no deleterious effect on the articular tissues. In larger follow-up studies, our methodologies can help demonstrating whether the drug's impact on long term clinical benefit (for instance in reducing knee replacements rates) is indeed related to the assumed MOA and target tissue, so that the putative DMOAD can obtain either full or preliminary/conditional approval for its use in osteoarthritis patients. By being validated, reliable, precise, and highly sensitive to both change and interventions, Chondrometrics’ technology helps to make clinical trials more efficient, i.e. more streamlined, faster, and more affordable. Providing expert consulting based on over 30 years of academic experience, we can ensure that the image acquisition protocol of the study will effectively support the desired imaging measures, that the imaging measures selected will match to the drug’s unique molecular profile, and that patient selection criteria match both with the drug’s MOA and the selected imaging endpoints. This type of alignment maximizes the chances of a clinical trial being successful, in that it provides clear and unambiguous answers as to whether an investigational medical product (IMP) has relevant impact on the structural pathology of joint tissues and on the natural progression of the disease (osteoarthritis).
Interested to learn more and here about the research done by company representatives.
Please visit the RESEARCH Section on this page. Contact: eckstein@chondrometrics.de
Chondrometrics GmbH provides expert consultation and image analysis service to academic researchers and the pharmaceutical industry. The strength of Chondrometrics, we believe, lies in the dedication and experience of its team of specialized researchers and readers, the profound integration with the scientific community, the rigorous scientific validation of its methodologies, and the transparency of its technology by publication in leading scientific journals. At Chondrometrics, we value our clients as collaborators, react immediately to their requests and specific needs, provide validated scientific information, communicate promptly, and act with anticipation. 
