Aequus Pharmaceuticals (Aequus) a speciality pharmaceutical company, announces that Dr. Robert K. Koenekoop MD, MSc, PhD, FRCS(C), FARVO has joined as a medical and clinical consultant to Aequus on inherited retinal diseases, and specifically to support Aequus’ collaboration with reVision Therapeutics for the product REV-0100, a potential therapy for Stargardt disease.

Dr. Koenekoop is a Pediatric Ophthalmologist and Director of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Molecular Biology of Blindness at the Montreal Children’s Hospital (MCH). He also holds positions as Professor of Paediatric Surgery, Human Genetics and Adult Ophthalmology at McGill University and Director of the Laboratory for Retinal Genetics and Therapeutics, and Chief of Paediatric Ophthalmology at MCH Glen site.

Dr. Koenekoop brings over 25 years of national and international basic and clinical research expertise in ophthalmology, in both children and adults. With Dr. Koenekoop’s expert background and medical practice in Canada for inherited retinal diseases, his valuable insights will help the REV-0100 programme move forward.

“Stargardt macular dystrophy and all the other inherited retinal degenerations were deemed untreatable by the discoverers of these diseases and many generations of clinical teachers and researchers in this field,” said Dr. Koenekoop. “It is very exciting after all these years of seeing patients’ vision decline, that now for the first time we are seeing stabilization and even improvements in vision with some of the experimental agents.”

REV-0100 is a potential therapy for patients with Stargardt disease that is designed to bind and clear a toxic lipid called lipofuscin. Accumulation of lipofuscin in Stargardt disease leads to cell death and retinal degeneration. REV-0100 has the potential to reduce lipofuscin levels in the retina.

Click HERE for the full press release.

Earlier in August, Aequus announced a collaboration with reVision Therapeutics- See full press release HERE.