Endothelin is the most potent
vasoconstrictor in the human body and is upregulated in glaucoma. Endothelin is
involved in inflammation and cell death through its receptors expressed in
retinal vascular and neuroretinal cells. Multiple lines of evidence implicate
vascular dysregulation as a driver of glaucomatous disease progression, and excess
endothelin levels play a key role in reducing ocular blood flow.
PER-001 is a small molecular endothelin 1
receptor antagonist administered as a bio-erodible intravitreal implant.
It is being evaluated for treating open-angle glaucoma and other ocular
indications driven by ischemia, such as diabetic retinopathy, geographic
atrophy, and retinal vein occlusion. It is administered into the vitreous using a single-use, 25-gauge applicator. It is designed to
provide a sustained release of PER-001, allowing for a convenient every 6
months dosing frequency.
The intended treatment is pursuing both
vascular benefits, such as improved autoregulation and perfusion by targeting the
entire retinal vasculature and choroid, as well as non-vascular benefits, such
as blocking ET-1-mediated “neurotoxicity” involving apoptotic and oxidative
injury pathways in the neuroretina.
Perfuse Therapeutics, Inc. (“Perfuse Therapeutics”), a biopharmaceutical company, announced the details of PER-001. Data from three cohorts of patients with glaucoma in the completed Phase 1/2a clinical trial demonstrate that PER-001 is well tolerated and shows promise as the first disease-modifying therapy for glaucoma. A study in rabbit and monkey eyes demonstrated controllable biodegradation and sustainability of the implant without any ocular or systemic adverse findings for up to 3 and 6 months in rabbits and non-human primates, respectively.
No comments:
Post a Comment