Protease inhibitor treats DR

Article

ASP-440 - a protease, developed by ActiveSite Pharmaceuticals and an inhibitor of plase kallikrein - may provide an effective therapeutic treatment for diabetic retinopathy (DR), according to study results published in the February 2009 issue of Hypertension.

ASP-440 - a protease, developed by ActiveSite Pharmaceuticals and an inhibitor of plase kallikrein - may provide an effective therapeutic treatment for diabetic retinopathy (DR), according to study results published in the February 2009 issue of Hypertension.

Edward P. Feener, PhD of Harvard Medical School and the Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, US and colleagues tested ASP-440 through continuous systemic administration to rodents whose vasculature had been compromised by hypertension.

In the animal model, ASP-440 reduced the permeability of the retinal vasculature by up to 70%, and also reduced elevated blood pressure.

The team concluded that, by reducing retinal permeability through inhibition of kallikrein, ASP-440 may be able to reduce the incidence of diabetic macular oedema and diabetic retinopathy.

Related Videos
Ana Neves, head of global marketing for ZEISS Meditec Ophthalmology
Fritz Hengerer, MD, PhD, Director, Eye Hospital at Bürgerhospital, Frankfurt, Germany
Dr Sheng Lim, professor of glaucoma studies at St Thomas' Hospital, London
Kasperi Kankare at the iCare booth at ESCRS
Scott D Barnes, MD, CMO of STAAR Surgical
Tomislav Bucalic, head of marketing at Geuder, and David Geuder, member of the executive board and CIO
Related Content
© 2023 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.