Jayakrishna Ambati

About Jayakrishna Ambati

“My group has been on a two-decade long journey to develop an effective therapy for geographic atrophy (GA). I am thrilled that a sustained release implant drug we invented, Kamuvudine K-8, is showing extremely promising efficacy and safety in a phase 2 multicenter GA clinical trial conducted by Inflammasome Therapeutics. Another one of our oral drugs, Kamuvudine K-9, is showing promise in clinical trials for diabetic macular edema and thyroid eye disease. These translational projects have been a labor of love, and now we are now on the cusp of launching phase 3 trials in GA, an extremely challenging disease that remains a functionally unmet need.

“I am also excited that oral K-9 has been chosen by the prestigious Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Harvard as one of only 4 drugs from around the world to be tested in an accelerated fashion in a multicenter trial for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) because of its remarkable neuroprotective and neuroregenerative properties. We are hopeful that positive outcomes in ALS will stimulate trials of oral K-9 in optic neuropathies as well. I see these developments as validation of our rigorous scientific approach of understanding human disease at a fundamental level and then developing a mechanistic approach to address the underlying pathogenesis by developing rational molecular therapies. Throughout this journey, our guiding star has been the reward of improving the sight and the lives of countless millions around the world who are afflicted with devastating illnesses.”