Clinical Trial Launched to Test New Drug for AMD and DME
Wednesday, November 15 2023 | 13 h 50 min | Vision Science
Fighting Blindness Canada funded researcher Dr. Sachdev Sidhu (University of Waterloo) has developed a novel antibody therapy that will now be tested in a Phase 1/2 human clinical trial.
An intact blood-retinal barrier is important for proper retinal function. This is disrupted in eye diseases such as wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME) where uncontrolled blood vessel growth disrupts the barrier, allowing fluid to leak into the eye. If untreated, this can lead to retinal damage and vision loss.
Currently, the main treatment for AMD and DME is anti-VEGF, which reduces blood vessel growth. However, anti-VEGF treatments do not fix damage to the blood-retinal barrier.
Dr. Sidhu has developed a new antibody treatment (EYE103) which has the potential to restore the blood retinal barrier and help improve vision for those with AMD or DME.
The clinical trial will involve approximately 90 patients and will test if EYE103 is safe.
