OXiGENE has expanded its research and development program in ophthalmology following a significant improvement in a patient with myopic macular degeneration. The patient's vision was restored to 20/20 after treatment with CA4P, a vascular targeting agent.
Researchers used transgenic mice to study CA4P's effect on choroidal neovascularization, finding it suppressed development and induced partial regression of established CNV. CA4P joins a growing list of drugs with potential as prophylactic agents for retinal and/or choroidal neovascularization.
CA4P, a vascular targeting agent, is being tested in humans for the first time to prevent and regress choroidal neovascularization, a major cause of vision loss in age-related macular degeneration. The trial is led by Johns Hopkins' Wilmer Eye Institute and funded by The Foundation Fighting Blindness, Inc.
The Foundation has agreed to fund a physician-sponsored Phase I/II human clinical trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of CA4P as a treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration. The study aims to inhibit the growth of proliferating blood vessels linked to retinal conditions such as wet AMD.