Regenerative Therapeutics Program
Oncomodulin and ALSE-100
Alseres Pharmaceuticals has a broad patent estate that includes compounds already in development that may offer valuable therapeutic alternatives in degenerative ocular conditions.
One compound being tested in models of nerve damage in the eye is oncomodulin. Oncomodulin is a protein being studied to determine its therapeutic potential in ocular indications. Scientific collaborators at Children's Hospital Boston have reported that oncomodulin has enhanced axon regeneration in cellular and animal assays. Oncomodulin may offer therapeutic benefits in optic nerve regeneration following acute eye injury or damage to retinal ganglion cells from intraocular pressure caused by glaucoma.1
The Rho-A inhibitors, for example ALSE-100, have validated activity in in-vivo studies for neurological conditions. These inhibitors may have the potential to prevent or reverse degeneration of the optic nerve or photoreceptors that are characterized in glaucoma or macular degeneration.
By developing a broad and comprehensive set of in vitro and animal data on these proteins, we hope to establish a development and commercialization partnership in this area.
1 Yuqin Y, Henzl M, Lorber B, Nakazawa T, Thomas T, Jiang F, Langer R, Benowitz L. Oncomodulin is a macrophage-derived signal for axon regeneration in retinal ganglion cells. Nature Neuroscience. May 14, 2006