Researchers from Johns Hopkins believe a new injectable peptide holds promise for improving treatment for degenerative retinal diseases like age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema, and diabetic retinopathy.
According to researchers, the new peptide — called AXT107 — may be capable of providing stronger suppression of abnormal blood vessel growth and leakage in eye, and may also last longer when compared to current treatments, such as aflibercept that targets vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), leading to fewer eye injections per year.
In rabbit models of human eye disease, researchers reportedly found vascular leakage was reduced by 86 percent in those treated with AXT107 compared to 69 percent in rabbits treated with aflibercept, when compared to controls. And 60 days after treatment, AXT107-treated rabbits showed 70 percent less leaking than control rabbits, while the aflibercept-treated rabbits had about as much leaking as the controls.
For their next steps, researchers reportedly plant to investigate delivery mechanisms and the safety of the peptide for humans.
The study was recently published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
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Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine