Opthea Announces Publication on VEGF-C and D Signaling Pathways as Potential Targets for Treatment of Wet AMD
Opthea announced the publication of a scientific review in the peer-reviewed journal Ophthalmology and Therapy. The publication, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) C and D Signaling Pathways as Potential Targets for the Treatment of neovascular (wet) AMD supports the scientific rationale for sozinibercept (OPT-302) as a potential treatment for wet AMD.[1]
The article reviews the body of evidence that in retinal diseases, such as wet AMD, the pathophysiology is broader than dysregulation or overproduction of VEGF-A. While therapeutic approaches in wet AMD have mostly focused on targeting VEGF-A signaling, research has shown that VEGF-C and VEGF-D signaling pathways are also important to the pathogenesis of retinal diseases, Opthea stated in a news release. This review highlights the important therapeutic advances and remaining unmet needs for improved therapies targeting additional mechanisms beyond VEGF-A. It also discusses the role of VEGF-C and VEGF-D signaling involvement in both health and disease, as well as strategies for targeting VEGF-C/D signaling pathways to address one of the major remaining unmet needs in wet AMD—better visual outcomes.
“This review underpins sozinibercept’s potential as a novel, first-in-class VEGF-C/D ‘trap’ to prevent blood vessel growth and vascular leakage in the retina and deliver superior visual outcomes in wet AMD patients when combined with standard-of-care anti-VEGF-A therapies,” Frederic Guerard, PharmD, Chief Executive Officer of Opthea, said in a company news release. “Our fully enrolled sozinibercept phase 3 clinical program in wet AMD is designed to assess the safety and superior efficacy of sozinibercept in combination with standard-of-care anti-VEGF-A therapies compared to standard-of-care alone. We expect to report topline data for the COAST trial in early Q2 and for the ShORe trial in mid CY 2025.”
References
- Leitch, I.M., Gerometta, M., Eichenbaum, D. et al. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C and D Signaling Pathways as Potential Targets for the Treatment of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Narrative Review. Ophthalmol Ther 13, 1857–1875 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40123-024-00973-4