New Treatment on the Horizon for Common Eye Diseases

Glaucoma and macular degeneration are leading causes of blindness in people over 60. Professor David Zacks, M.D., Ph.D., and Associate Professor Cagri Besirli, M.D., Ph.D., hope to change that. The pair received several international patents for molecular compounds developed and designed to treat these two diseases, as well as preserve vision in patients with retinal detachments. The treatments, licensed by ONL Therapeutics, inhibit activation of the Fas receptor, a key regulator of cell death in the retina. The compounds will be used either alone or in combination with other treatments (such as surgery), with the goal of keeping more retinal cells alive thus improving vision. To date, early studies have found the lead compound, ONL1204, safe and well-tolerated.