ARVO 2024: Industry leaders will provide company updates and new clinical data at conference

Companies announced their plans ahead of the ARVO meeting. Image credit: ©rawpixel.com – stock.adobe.com

This year, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting will be held in Seattle, Washington, from 5–9 May. Ahead of the meeting, which is one of the ophthalmology world’s biggest conferences, companies shared information about the data they plan to present to attendees.

Note: The following list is non-exhaustive. Companies are listed in alphabetical order.

Akari Therapeutics will present new pre-clinical data on investigational long-acting PAS-nomacopan, including drug effect on electroretinography testing in a blue light model. Miles Nunn, Akari’s Chief Scientific Officer, will provide an overview during a poster presentation on Sunday, 5 May, from 1:00 to 2:45 pm PT.¹ Akari’s long-acting PAS-nomacopan is in the final stages of pre-clinical development as a potential treatment for geographic atrophy (GA).¹

Avirmax Biopharma Inc. will feature Chief Executive and Scientific Officer Shengjiang Liu, PhD, presenting "Systematic comparison of rAAV vectors manufactured using large-scale suspension cultures of Sf9 and HEK293 cells." This presentation will occur during the Developing gene therapy for glaucoma neuroprotection: Opportunities and challenges symposium on 9 May, 8 – 10 am PT.² In addition, Avirmax will feature “Macular retina-targeting AAV capsid identified through multi-species screening in mice, rabbits, pigs, and monkeys,” presented by Shengjiang Liu, PhD, on 8 May from 2:15 pm to 4:00 pm PT; and “Novel AAV2 capsid expressing Aflibercept shows efficacy and sustainability in rabbit DL-AAA model,” presented by Sameera Peraramelli, PhD, on 9 May from 11:45 am to 1:30 pm PT.

Bausch + Lomb Corporation will have 21 poster presentations at the upcoming ARVO conference. Posters will showcase results from studies evaluating consumer, pharmaceutical, surgical and vision care products, as well as pipeline updates, on topics including a novel daily nutritional supplement formulated for dry eye symptoms.³

The Doheny Eye Institute, associated with the UCLA Stein Eye Institute, will feature presentations from more than 25 scientists and clinician-scientists. Among these industry leaders, Deborah A. Ferrington, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Doheny Eye Institute, will present a mini-symposium session, titled “Genotype-Specific Differences in Mitochondrial Function Specific to the CFH Y402H Risk Allele Associated with AMD," on 9 May from 2:45 p.m. until 3:00 pm PT.⁴

eyeDNA (a subsidiary of Coave Therapeutics) will share a presentation on retinitis pigmentosa. Jean-Baptiste Ducloyer, MD, Nantes University Department of Ophthalmology, France, will deliver the talk, titled “12-month Safety and Efficacy Evaluation of HORA-PDE6B, a Gene Therapy Targeting Patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa Due to Biallelic PDE6B Gene Mutation.” This presentation will take place Monday, 6 May, from 3:30 PM – 3:45 pm PT.⁵

Eyenovia will present “Evaluation of APNT™ Nanoparticle Formulation in Ophthalmic Medications," detailing results from a study demonstrating that Formosa Pharmaceuticals’ Active Pharmaceutical ingredient Nanoparticle Technology (APNT) can improve solubility and bioavailability of topical ophthalmic medications, on Tuesday, 7 May, 2024 at 3:30 – 5:15 pm PT.⁶

Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd., a global specialty pharmaceutical company based in Japan, will share pre-clinical data of tivozanib (KHK-4951), an investigational product. The presentation, titled "Pre-clinical ocular pharmacokinetics and efficacy of a novel Tivozanib eye drop for neovascular age-related macular degeneration,” will take place on Wednesday, 8 May, at 2:15 – 4:00 pm PT.⁷

Ocugen will present on its innovative modifier gene therapy platform, including: OCU400 for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa (Phase 3 LiMeliGhT clinical trial) on Sunday, 5 May and Monday, 6 May; OCU410 for the treatment of geographic atrophy (Phase 1/2 ArMaDa clinical trial) on Tuesday, 7 May; and OCU410ST for the treatment of Stargardt disease (Phase 1/2 GARDian clinical trial) on Wednesday, 8 May.⁸ Click for information on each presentation.

Ocuphire Pharma, Inc. will share new data during the Diabetic Retinopathy paper session. Daniel Su, MD will deliver the paper, titled, “Oral APX3330, a Ref-1 Inhibitor, Slows Progression of Diabetic Retinopathy on a Binocular DRSS Person-Level Scale on oral APX3330” on Sunday, 5 May, from 4:00 – 4:15 pm PT.⁹

PharmAbcine, Inc. a clinical-stage biotech firm based in South Korea, announced that its US subsidiary Wincal Biopharm, Inc. will present preclinical findings on its proprietary Ocular Penetration Carrier (OPC) screening platform. The company says OPC has shown high potential in treating various ocular diseases using an eyedrop formulation of antibody therapeutics that could act in place of intravitreal injections.¹⁰ The presentation, titled, “Development of eyedrops for anti-VEGF therapeutic antibodies as a substitute for IVT injection for posterior ocular disease indications,” will be held on 6 May, 2024 from 3:00 pm to 3:15 pm.¹⁰

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will present positive long-term results and subgroup analyses from the pivotal clinical program of aflibercept 8 mg, as part of 14 accepted abstracts on aflibercept 8 mg and aflibercept 2 mg injections.¹¹ In the company’s press release, three podium presentations around this topic were highlighted:

• Two-year (96 week) results from the PULSAR trial investigating EYLEA HD in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD), compared to EYLEA, which will feature a post-hoc analysis on the correlation of key baseline disease characteristics in wAMD to dosing intervals of EYLEA HD, on Monday, 6 May, 3:30 to 3:45 pm PST;
• A PULSAR subgroup analysis evaluating visual and anatomic improvements with EYLEA HD, compared to EYLEA, based on baseline best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), corneal refractive therapy (CRT), choroidal neovascularization (CNV) type and race, on Wednesday, 8 May, 3:15 to 3:30 PM PST;
• One-year (48 week) data from the PHOTON trial investigating EYLEA HD in diabetic macular oedema (DME) patients with or without prior treatment, compared to EYLEA, on Wednesday, 8 May, 3:45 to 4:00 pm PST.

SalioGen Therapeutics will give a poster presentation titled “ABCA4 gene replacement in a mouse model of Stargardt disease using a mammalian transposon system,” in the exhibit hall on Monday, 6 May, from 3:00-4:45 pm PT.¹²

Stuart Therapeutics Inc. will present a poster, co-authored by its research and development team, titled "Scleral collagen remodeling and repair assessed in intact eyes through Second Harmonic Generation.” The work for this presentation was conducted at the University of Rochester using Stuart Therapeutics' proprietary collagen mimetic peptide platform, with the goal of understanding its efficacy in reversing the disruption of scleral collagen in the eye.¹³

Unity Biotechnology will present two poster presentations: The first, “Effect of Patient Baseline Characteristics on Response to UBX1325, a Novel Senolytic Candidate for Patients With DME: BEHOLD Phase 2 Study 48 weeks follow-up,” will be presented by Dante Joseph Pieramici, MD, from California Retina Consultants, on 6 May at 8:30 to 10:15 am PT. The second, "Senolytic drug candidate in wet AMD demonstrates benefit with Multifocal ERG testing," presented by Raj K. Maturi, MD, from Midwest Eye Institute, on 8 May, from 2:25 to 4:00, pm PT.¹⁴

References

1. Akari Therapeutics to Present PAS-Nomacopan Pre-Clinical Electroretinography (ERG) Data at ARVO 2024. Akari Therapeutics. Published April 15, 2024. Accessed April 15, 2024. https://www.biospace.com/article/releases/akari-therapeutics-to-present-pas-nomacopan-pre-clinical-electroretinography-erg-data-at-arvo-2024/

2. Avirmax Biopharma Inc. to Present at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting in Seattle. Published April 1, 2024. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/avirmax-biopharma-inc-to-present-at-the-2024-arvo-annual-meeting-in-seattle-302104758.html

3. Bausch + Lomb Announces Presentation of New Data at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Annual Meeting. Bausch + Lomb. Published April 29, 2024. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.bausch.com/news/?id=208

4. Doheny Eye Institute Announces Upcoming Presentations at ARVO 2024 Annual Meeting. Doheny Eye Institute. Published April 24, 2024. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/04/24/2868672/0/en/Doheny-Eye-Institute-Announces-Upcoming-Presentations-at-ARVO-2024-Annual-Meeting.html

5. eyeDNA Therapeutics to Present 2-year Follow-up Phase I/II Data on its Investigational Gene Therapy HORA-PDE6b for Retinitis Pigmentosa at the ARVO 2024 Annual Meeting. Coave Therapeutics. Published April 25, 2024. Accessed April 29, 2024.

6. Eyenovia Provides Clinical and Scientific Update on FDA-Approved Products Mydcombi™ and Clobetasol Propionate Ophthalmic Suspension. Eyenovia, Inc. Published April 25, 2024. Accessed April 29,2024. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/04/25/2869465/0/en/Eyenovia-Provides-Clinical-and-Scientific-Update-on-FDA-Approved-Products-Mydcombi-and-Clobetasol-Propionate-Ophthalmic-Suspension.html

7. Kyowa Kirin Announces Acceptance of Abstract for Presentation at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Annual Meeting 2024. Kyowa Kirin. Published April 2, 2024. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kyowa-kirin-announces-acceptance-of-abstract-for-presentation-at-the-association-for-research-in-vision-and-ophthalmology-annual-meeting-2024-302106101.html

8. UPDATE — Ocugen to Present on Modifier Gene Therapy Platform at Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology 2024 Annual Meeting. Ocugen Inc. Published April 26, 2024. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/04/26/2870525/0/en/UPDATE-Ocugen-to-Present-on-Modifier-Gene-Therapy-Platform-at-Association-for-Research-in-Vision-and-Ophthalmology-2024-Annual-Meeting.html

9. Ocuphire Pharma Announces APX3330 Presentation at ARVO 2024 Annual Meeting. Ocuphire Pharma Inc. Published April 22, 2024. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/ocuphire-pharma-announces-apx3330-presentation-120000015.html

10. PharmAbcine's U.S. Subsidiary, Wincal Biopharm, to Present Preclinical Data from its Proprietary OPC Platform Targeting Ocular Diseases at the upcoming Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting 2024. PharmAbcine Inc. Published April 22, 2024. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pharmabcines-us-subsidiary-wincal-biopharm-to-present-preclinical-data-from-its-proprietary-opc-platform-targeting-ocular-diseases-at-the-upcoming-association-for-research-in-vision-and-ophthalmology-arvo-annual-meeting-202-302123843.html

11. EYLEA® HD (aflibercept) Injection 8 mg Presentations at ARVO Reinforce Sustained and Clinically Meaningful Outcomes in Serious Retinal Diseases. Published April 29, 2024. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/04/29/2871070/0/en/EYLEA-HD-aflibercept-Injection-8-mg-Presentations-at-ARVO-Reinforce-Sustained-and-Clinically-Meaningful-Outcomes-in-Serious-Retinal-Diseases.html

12. SalioGen Therapeutics Announces Data Presentations at 2024 Annual Meetings for the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) and American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT). SalioGen Therapeutics. Published April 22, 2024. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/saliogen-therapeutics-announces-data-presentations-at-2024-annual-meetings-for-the-association-for-research-in-vision-and-ophthalmology-arvo-and-american-society-of-gene--cell-therapy-asgct-302123770.html

13. Stuart Therapeutics, Inc. Announces Upcoming Presentations at ARVO 2024. Published April 19, 2024. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stuart-therapeutics-inc-announces-upcoming-presentations-at-arvo-2024-302122140.html

14. Unity biotechnology announces upcoming presentations at the ARVO 2024 annual meeting. Unity Biotechnology. Published April 25, 2024. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://ir.unitybiotechnology.com/news-releases/news-release-details/unity-biotechnology-announces-upcoming-presentations-arvo-2024