27 Jun Eye-drop for Diabetic Retinopathy – Successful Eurostars grant application
eye-drop for diabetic retinopathy-successful eurostars grant application
REYKJAVIK – 27 June 2017 – Oculis ehf., announced today that a Eurostars application for the development of a novel eye-drop drug for the preventive treatment of diabetic retinopathy has been approved under the project name “PREVIN”. The application is made in consortium together with Experimentica Ltd., Medical University of Vienna, Nucro-Technics, University of Copenhagen and Zealand University Hospital. The overall project budget covers a period of 36 months and amounts to EUR 2.1 million.
The PREVIN project
The aim of the consortium is to develop a novel eye-drop formulation for the treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy (DR), which will be tested by extensive safety and efficacy studies during the 36-month project.
Diabetes affects over 400 million people worldwide. DR is present in one third of the people with diabetes, with DR being the primary cause of preventable blindness in adults. The PREVIN project will address this unmet medical need by developing an eye-drop for prevention and treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy.
This eye-drop formulation will consist of established drug molecules formulated using Oculis’ solubilizing nanoparticle (SNP) drug delivery platform technology, which has been shown to deliver drugs to the back of the eye in effective concentrations.
During the PREVIN project, the eye-drops will be tested in Experimentica’s in-vivo animal model especially developed for this project. A local tolerability study and a pharmacokinetic study will determine the safety profile, which is performed by the Medical University of Vienna, and analyzed by Nucro-Technics, before a Phase 1 dose escalation study will be initiated at the Zealand University Hospital.
The PREVIN project will benefit greatly from a vast clinical and pre-clinical expertise in the analysis and treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy, from the DR-experts at the Zealand University Hospital, the Medical University of Vienna, Experimentica and Oculis.
The successful grant application was written prepared by Catalyze, the Amsterdam based management consultancy company.
Oculis CEO Páll Ragnar Jóhannesson comments
“We are very pleased to lead this exciting project together with the extremely skilled research group involved in the consortium. This project offers a unique opportunity to bring to the market an eye-drop for the treatment and prevention of Diabetic Retinopathy, addressing a high unmet medical need for this common and severe complication of diabetes.”
For further information:
Oculis: www.oculis.com
Experimentica Ltd.: www.eurekanetwork.orgexperimentica.com
Medical University of Vienna: www.meduniwien.ac.at
Nucro-Technics: www.nucro-technics.com
University of Copenhagen, Zealand University Hospital: www.regionsjaelland.dk