To continue improving patient outcomes, innovation is paramount. And at the recent Ophthalmology Innovations Summit (OIS) alongside the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) annual meeting in Chicago – or OIS@ASRS – attendees were privy to some of the top technologies and therapies coming down the posterior segment pipeline. From artificial intelligence (AI) to new molecules, below we detail some the upcoming developments in vitreoretinal diagnostics and treatment.
Take me to your leader . . .
Leaders in AI, that is. Nah, we’re not talking about science fiction, like robots with feelings, we’re talking about the AI that could revolutionize the way ophthalmologists screen and diagnose patients.
“AI, to me, is a novel advance going forward. Ophthalmology – and retina in particular— is uniquely situated for AI . . . and the impact is going to be huge,” said Timothy Murray, MD, founding director and CEO of Miami Ocular Oncology & Retina (MOOR).
One area of potential impact is in vision screening for newborns. Daruis Moshfeghi, MD, is the co-founder of Pr3vent – a company using AI and deep learning to provide this screening for up to 4 million babies in the U.S. annually. As Dr. Moshfeghi noted, screening that many babies would take a lot of doctors . . . or just one good algorithm.
Another focus is on biomarkers. Shelley Boyd, MD, is the president and CEO of Tracery Ophthalmics – a biomarker-driven, AI-powered, technology stack for precision drug development. According to her: “In ophthalmology, we rely on images and image-based biomarkers . . . and this is true for some of the biggest healthcare challenges we face. Biomarkers are measures of disease, of health, of treatment efficacy and of safety. They drive clinical decision with the promise of personalized medicine.”
At Carl Zeiss Meditec, they have their own vision for AI: To enhance the doctor’s ability to provide care. Niranchana Manivannan, PhD, senior staff scientist, clinical research & analytics development for Zeiss explained: “Instead of clinicians going through all 128 b-scans, with AI, we can automatically highlight the scans of interest so clinicians can start from that particular point . . . and that would improve the workflow. Clinicians would have more time to spend with patients and see more patients.”
Coming soon: New therapies
Numerous companies walked their latest therapies down the metaphorical runway at OIS. These novel molecules show promise for improving patient outcomes for some of the most stubborn posterior segment conditions.
One development extends the duration of anti-VEGF: AXT107 from AsclepiX Therapeutics, a best-in-class agent that inhibits VEGF and activates Tie2 as a monotherapy. CEO Wendy Perrow says that with AXT107, potentially only one intravitreal injection per year is needed . . . which would dramatically reduce the treatment burden.
Another company is also developing an anti-VEGF: Kodiak Sciences is designing ophthalmic Antibody Biopolymer Conjugates (ABCs) for increased durability and efficacy. Jason Ehrlich, MD, PhD, chief medical officer & chief development officer for Kodiak, highlighted KSI-301, an anti-VEGF ABC that optimizes both molecular weight & formulation strength, with encouraging Phase 1a clinical study results. “It’s well-tolerated at all dose levels with rapid-onset, high-magnitude responses sustained to 12 weeks,” he explained.
Another drug has been found to not only be well-tolerated – but it also has the potential to improve vision and treat earlier stage AMD – differentiating it from other approaches. Because AMD is characterized by marked mitochondrial defects Stealth Biotherapeutics’ lead product candidate, elamipretide, stabilizes cristae architecture and electron transport chain structure during oxidative stress by binding to cardiolipin in the inner mitochondrial membrane. CEO Reenie McCarthy says that in ReCLAIM, a 40-patient Phase 1 trial, they found that elamipretide therapy improved regular and lowlight vision in drusen and geographic atrophy cohorts.
Of course, these are just some of the highlights – there are many more innovations coming to retina, all in the name of improving diagnostics, workflow and treatment to the benefit of both the patient and physician.
Editor’s Note: The OIS@ASRS 2019 was held in Chicago, Illinois, USA, on July 25, 2019. Reporting for this story also took place at OIS@ASRS 2019. Media MICE Pte Ltd, PIE Magazine’s parent company, is an Official Media Partner at all OIS conferences alongside ASRS, AAO and ASCRS.
