An intact blood-retinal barrier, important for proper retinal function, 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.
Currently, anit-VEGF is the main treatment for AMD and DME. is While anti-VEGF treatment reduces blood vessel growth, they do not fix existing damage to the blood-retinal barrier. Dr. Sidhu (University of Waterloo) has developed a new antibody treatment which has the potential to restore the blood retinal barrier and help improve vision for those with AMD or DME.
Fighting Blindness Canada (FBC) funding helped Dr. Sidhu–s team generate pre-clinical data leading to first in human Phase 1 clinical trials in 2023. Based on promising results from these trials, the molecule, Restoret has been acquired by the pharmaceutical company Merck. A larger clinical trial. will test if the therapy is safe and improves best corrected visual acuity compared to anti-VEGF treatment.
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