TA-A001, a New CB2R Agonist for Ocular Inflammation and Pain. Proof of Concept and IND Enabling Studies

Blindness resulting from inflammatory ocular conditions such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and progressive keratoconus (PK) is increasing around the world as populations age. Together they affect over 8 million individuals in N. America alone with up to one in four of those over 80 being at risk. Despite this, treatments for such conditions are limited, ineffective, and often extremely costly. Dry-eye disease, another ocular inflammatory disorder leading to severe disability, especially in the elderly people, is similarly undertreated, today’s leading therapies, such as Restasis® (a reformulation of cyclosporin, a drug approved in 1983) being ineffective and painful for many patients.
TA-A001 is a new mechanism anti-inflammatory drug working via the body’s natural immune system to control inflammation and associated pain. In a first series of studies, we will use TA-A001, enabled by our ocular delivery technology SmartCelle, to control the excruciating pain occurring after sight-saving PK surgery. Today’s analgesics are ineffective in this setting leading to treatment delays and poor surgical outcomes. TA-A001 can reverse this trend promoting earlier surgical intervention, improved patient experience and clearer vision.

Faculty Supervisor:

Sylvain Chemtob;Marie-Claude Robert

Student:

Partner:

Altus

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

Université de Montréal

Program: