Where Are They Now?

In June 2017, we reported on a study that demonstrated topical delivery of anti-VEGF antibodies to the posterior segment, and how the findings showed the potential to release AMD patients from the burden of monthly injections (1). The hero? Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) that can act as chaperones to facilitate the uptake of anti-VEGF complexes. In their 2017 publication, the team – led by Felicity de Cogan of the University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK – showed that CPP-anti-VEGF complexes successfully reached the posterior segment in rat and porcine eyes, and that they could reduce lesion size in a mouse model of choroidal neovascularization (2).

But where are they now? The group have pushed their treatment one step further, and recently shown that topically applied CPP complexes (with either bevacizumab or ranibizumab) can reach the retina in both rabbit and porcine eyes, and have also quantified how much anti-VEGF was delivered (3). Also, Macregen, Inc, now owns the pending patents for the treatment, and a collaboration between the US-based company and the team is in place to develop novel therapies for AMD and other eye diseases. On the collaboration, de Cogan said: “We welcome the commercial investment and expertise from Macregen so we can deliver a structured research and development program that should bring concrete benefits to people with AMD and eye diseases” (4).

With proof of concept studies currently being expedited, and clinical trials set to start as early as Q2 in 2019, how soon might patients be able to “drop the needle?”