Clinical trials are set to launch later this year to evaluate whether the cancer drug, PRL3-zumab, is effective in treating wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) as well as diabetic retinopathy.
Results of pre-clinical studies revealed that intravenous PRL3-zumab lowered abnormal blood vessel leakage by 86%. PRL3-zumab offers the benefit of being administered intravenously unlike current therapies which involve injections in the eye. These injections are often administered on a monthly basis and carry the risk of infection as well as damage to the lens. Almost half of patients receiving intravitreal injections do not respond well to the treatments.
The pre-clinical studies demonstrated that PRL3-zumab being administered intravenously achieved more sustained therapeutic levels in the eye when compared to eye injections. Phase II trials in cancer patients have already shown PRL3-zumab to have a good safety profile, which helps researchers as they begin the clinical trials to evaluate its application for eye diseases.
