News and Trends 20 Jan 2020 Medical Gel Prepares to Enter Clinical Trials for Replacing Corneal Transplants An international collaboration involving researchers in Europe, Asia, and North America has begun preparations for testing in humans a therapeutic gel that could replace the need for corneal transplants for the treatment of blindness. Corneal transplants are the most common treatment for blindness caused by corneal injury. However, donor shortages and high costs make it […] January 20, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 10 Jan 2020 This Biotech Makes Easily Implantable Artificial Cornea Transplants CorNeat Vision, based in Israel, is developing an easily-implantable and affordable artificial cornea that could one day replace donor corneas in people needing transplants and therefore address the shortage of donor tissue. Mission: To develop a cornea made from plastic that is easier to supply and implant than donor corneas. The implant is also designed […] January 10, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 3 Sep 2019 Gyroscope Targets Age-Related Blindness with €55M Series B UK gene therapy biotech Gyroscope Therapeutics has secured €55.4M in Series B funding to target age-related macular degeneration. Life sciences investor Syncona, which is backed by the UK’s Wellcome Trust, continued its support of the company contributing €52.7M to the round. This brings its total investment in Gyroscope to €90M since the biotech was founded […] September 3, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 7 Aug 2019 Late-Stage Clinical Trial Troubles for Dry Eye Disease Drug A drug developed by the UK company Topivert Pharma has failed to reduce eyeball grittiness sensations in patients with dry eye disease in a phase II/III trial. The trial tested Topivert’s small molecule drug given as eyedrops to 202 patients suffering from dry eye disease, a condition where not enough tears are produced to lubricate […] August 7, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 3 Apr 2019 UK Scientists Activate Stem Cells to Heal Corneal Injuries A group of researchers in the UK has developed a potential treatment for corneal injuries, such as those caused by chemical burns, by making surrounding tissue softer and letting stem cells regenerate damaged tissue. The cornea is a transparent tissue that is important for focusing light onto the retina and guarding entry into the eye. […] April 3, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 10 Jan 2019 This Retinal Implant Lets Visually-Impaired Patients See Patterns An electronic chip from French company Pixium Vision, inserted behind the retina to treat age-related macular degeneration, has shown excellent results in a small clinical trial. The five patients in the feasibility study suffered from dry age-related macular degeneration, the most common cause of visual impairment in people over 65 in Europe. In this incurable […] January 10, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 4 Jan 2019 Innovative Eye Disease Therapies Move Closer to the Clinic Oculis has increased its series B fundraising round to CHF35M (€31M) to continue development of its pipeline of topical eye treatments for diseases such as diabetic macular edema. The company specializes in creating special nanoparticle formulations of drugs for treatment of various eye diseases to allow them to be applied directly to the eye as […] January 4, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 26 Nov 2018 First Gene Therapy for Inherited Blindness Approved in Europe Novartis has received approval for Luxturna, a gene therapy that can restore vision in people with a specific genetic mutation that causes progressive vision loss. The therapy is indicated for people with mutations in the two copies of a gene, called RPE65, that cause retinal cells to die over time, resulting in progressive loss of […] November 26, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 18 Sep 2018 Update: French Biotech Raises €22M for a Gene Therapy Trial in Retinitis Pigmentosa Update (18/09/2018): Horama has increased the total raised in its Series B fundraising to €22.5M, with the Belgian fund V-Bio Ventures joining the team of investors backing the company. The funds will be mainly directed at developing Horama’s gene therapy for retinitis pigmentosa. Published on 08/10/2017 Horama has raised a second fundraising round that will support […] September 18, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 5 Sep 2018 RNA Therapy Improves Vision in Patients with Rare Genetic Blindness Dutch company ProQR has released data from a Phase I/II trial showing its RNA therapy can improve the vision of people with a rare form of hereditary blindness. The clinical trial recruited 10 people with the rare disease Leber’s congenital amaurosis 10. Caused by mutations in a gene called CEP290, this condition leads to […] September 5, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 20 Jul 2018 Belgian Biotech Completes First Trial with New Drug for Diabetic Macular Edema Belgian biotech ThromboGenics has conducted the first clinical trial of an antibody to treat one of the world’s leading causes of vision loss. Results from the Phase I/II trial demonstrate the safety and tolerability of a new kind of antibody treatment for diabetic macular edema. The trial focused on injecting the THR-317 antibody, which is directed against […] July 20, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 11 Jul 2018 Gene Therapy for Retinitis Pigmentosa Tested in Humans for the First Time French biotech Horama has treated the first patients with a gene therapy for retinitis pigmentosa that could prevent the progressive loss of vision caused by this genetic condition. A Phase I/II trial with Horama’s gene therapy for retinitis pigmentosa is running at the Nantes University Hospital. The therapy is aimed at fixing genetic defects in a […] July 11, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email