Preclinical optimisation and evaluation of controlled release ophthalmic depots for anti-VEGF treatments: readiness for Pharma partnering

**NanOptima的使命是减轻视网膜疾病治疗的巨大负担，特别是“湿性”年龄相关性黄斑变性、糖尿病视网膜病变和视网膜静脉闭塞**。据估计，英国有57万人患有这些疾病，全球至少有9600万人患有这些疾病。目前已证实的蛋白质药物治疗可以保护视力，但需要每隔1-2个月进行一次玻璃体内注射，这对卫生保健系统来说成本高昂，因为注射必须由训练有素的临床医生进行，这对患者来说非常不愉快，并浪费了患者和护理人员数天的时间，而每次注射都有低但累积的严重并发症风险。公众对COVID-19的反应令人担忧，导致患者忽视视力丧失迹象，不去医院等被认为高风险的环境就诊的趋势明显（发病率比2019年下降了近80%）。随着COVID-19风险的降低，对已经不堪重负的医疗系统来说，出现更严重视力丧失的紧急病例可能会大幅增加（_Eye_卷34，页1189—1192(2020)）。NanOptima正在设计由自组装聚合物细丝和天然人类生物聚合物构建的纳米级药物释放库。我们使用的材料会分解成人体中常见的化合物。该仓库的设计目的是通过非常细的针头注射，不需要手术植入，提供经过验证的现有视网膜治疗方法，并打算在未来与制药行业正在开发的新治疗方法相结合。该解决方案将减少治疗的侵入性，降低风险、痛苦和成本，并使视力保护治疗水平保持更长时间。NanOptima是一家位于Alderley科学园的英国小公司，在那里我们可以使用高科技设备和设施，并得到无与伦比的经验丰富的制药专家的支持。在这个项目中，NanOptima将与曼彻斯特大学（University of Manchester）一个领先的学术材料设计团队密切合作，该团队在将研究成果转化为临床和商业领域方面有着良好的记录。在这个项目成功完成后，NanOptima希望与眼科制药公司建立国际合作伙伴关系，共同分担风险并吸引内向投资进入英国。我们公司打算在先进的医疗保健技术和交付我们的项目中发展和创造新的科学工作，我们也将为英国合同研究组织创造工作。最终，我们希望这些产品能够造福世界各地的患者，降低医疗成本，并为英国企业创造收入。

**NanOptima has a mission to reduce the colossal burden of treatment for retinal diseases, specifically "wet" age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vein occlusion**. These conditions are estimated to affect 570,000 people in the UK and and at least 96M worldwide. Current proven protein drug treatments preserve sight, but require intravitreal injections every 1-2 months, which is costly for healthcare systems since injections must be done by trained clinicians, is very unpleasant for patients, and loses days of patients' and carers' time, while every injection carries a low but accumulating risk of serious complications.Worrying public reaction to COVID-19 has resulted in a dramatic trend of patients neglecting signs of vision loss and not presenting to a perceived high-risk environment such as a hospital (incidence down nearly 80% from 2019). As COVID-19 risk decreases, there will likely be a considerable surge in the presentation of emergency cases with more advanced sight loss, to an already overburdened healthcare system (_Eye_ volume 34, pages 1189--1192(2020)).NanOptima is designing nano-scale drug-release depots constructed from self-assembling polymer filaments and natural human biopolymers. The materials we use will break down into compounds that occur normally throughout the human body. The depots are designed to be injected infrequently, through a very fine needle with no need for surgical implantation, delivering proven existing retinal treatments with the intention of being formulated in future with novel treatments under development in the pharmaceutical industry. The solution will make treatment less invasive, reduce risks, distress and costs, and maintain sight-protecting treatment levels for longer.NanOptima is a small UK company based at Alderley Science Park where we have access to high-tech equipment and facilities, and are supported by an unrivalled pool of experienced pharmaceutical specialists. In this project, NanOptima will partner closely with a leading academic materials design group at the **University of Manchester**, with a track record of translating research into clinical and commercial sector.On successful completion of this project, NanOptima expects to partner internationally with ophthalmic pharmaceutical companies, sharing risk and attracting inward investment into the UK. Our company intends to grow and create new science jobs in advanced healthcare technology and in delivering our projects, we will also create work for UK contract research organisations. Ultimately, we expect the products to benefit patients worldwide, reduce healthcare costs, and generate revenue for UK businesses.