AAO 2023: How Neurotech's encapsulated cell therapy NT-501 targets ocular disease

News
Video

At AAO 2023, Rich Small, CEO of Neurotech, spoke with our team about the company's development of encapsulated cell therapy, NT-501

Rich Small, CEO of Neurotech, spoke with the team at Ophthalmology Times about the company's development of encapsulated cell therapy, NT-501, at this year's American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.

Video Transcript

Editor's note - This transcript has been edited for clarity.

Rich Small:

Hi, I'm Rich Small, CEO of Neurotech. It's my pleasure to be here to give you an update on Neurotech. We're developing a really cool technology, it's called encapsulated cell therapy. And in encapsulated cell therapy, we take RPE cells, we genetically modify them to release a therapeutic factor. And the cells are encapsulated in a semipermeable membrane, which allows these therapeutic factors to actually release into the back of the eye, while also allowing nutrients to continuously nourish these cells. And then furthermore, it also prevents the immunoresponse from occurring. So actually, a lot of really cool elements to this technology.

Our first ECT product that we're in clinical development with is called NT-501. And what NT-501 does, is it releases the neurotrophic factor CNTF. And what CNTF is, it's a well-known neuroprotective of keeping, keeping the photoreceptors healthy. And our first clinical, our most advanced clinical program that we're developing NT-501 for is for the orphan disease called macular telangiectasia, MacTel. And late last year, we actually just completed two Phase III studies in MacTel. And studying the, the therapy against the disease itself, and what we found, the results were the treated group was significantly slowed down the progression of disease versus control. So it's something very exciting for us. And we're very excited about our technology.

Newsletter

Join ophthalmologists across Europe—sign up for exclusive updates and innovations in surgical techniques and clinical care.

Recent Videos
Alfredo Sadun, MD, PhD, chief of Ophthalmology at the Doheny Eye Institute, University of California Los Angeles, shared exciting new research with the Eye Care Network during the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting on the subject of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON).
At this year's Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, Nitish Mehta, MD, shared highlights from his research documenting real-world results of aflibercept 8 mg for patients with diabetic macular oedema.
ARVO 2025: Anat Loewenstein, MD, shares data from herself and her colleagues on meeting needs of patients with diabetic retinopathy
At the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons annual meeting, Sheng Lim, MD, FRCOphth discusses the benefit of endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation for patients with primary open angle glaucoma and cataracts in the CONCEPT study
A photo of Seville, Spain, with the Congress on Controversies in Ophthalmology logo superimposed on it. Image credit: ©francovolpato – stock.adobe.com; logo courtesy COPHy
Anat Loewenstein, MD, Professor and Director, Department of Ophthalmology, Tel Aviv Medical Center, discusses the Congress on Controversies in Ophthalmology (COPHy)
(Image credit: Ophthalmology Times Europe) AGS 2025: Clemens Strohmaier, PhD, on improving aqueous humour outflow following excimer laser trabeculostomy
3 experts are featured in this series.
Anat Loewenstein, MD, speaks about the 22nd Annual Angiogenesis, Exudation, and Degeneration Meeting in February 2025 and shares her global forecast for AI-driven home OCT
3 experts are featured in this series.
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.