Xenofocus Reveals Preclinical Results at US ARVO... "Ophthalmic Disease Treatment GF103 Ready for Clinical Trials"

Genofocus announced on the 9th that it presented the preclinical research results and future clinical trial plans for the wet age-related macular degeneration treatment candidate 'GF103' at the world's largest ophthalmology conference, the 2024 ARVO (Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology).

GF103 is a high-purity protein drug candidate developed by modifying manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn SOD) discovered from Bacillus probiotics. GF103 is expected to treat wet macular degeneration by controlling reactive oxygen species and inflammation, which are known as the fundamental causes of neovascularization. Wet macular degeneration is a disease in which neovascularization occurs in the macula, destroying photoreceptor cells and leading to vision loss.

In this presentation, Genofocus disclosed the research results on "GF103: An Orally Administered Bacillus Superoxide Dismutase in Clinical Development for Wet-AMD Treatment."

In the efficacy evaluation of laser-induced choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in rodents, GF103 showed neovascularization inhibition efficacy comparable to the existing treatment, Eylea. It also demonstrated protective effects on retinal pigment epithelial cells and vision improvement, and safety was confirmed through preclinical toxicity tests.

Based on these preclinical research results, the company plans to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial in Australia within this year. To this end, clinical-related documents are currently being prepared. After completing Phase 1, the indication is expected to be expanded to various diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, inflammatory bowel disease, and pulmonary fibrosis.

Dr. Jang In-ik, head of new drug development at BiomeLogic, Genofocus's new drug development subsidiary, said, "This presentation revealed the pharmacological efficacy and safety of GF103, which can be orally administered unlike existing injectable treatments," adding, "In particular, GF103 attracted high interest from ophthalmology experts and ophthalmic drug development specialists as it is expected to complement or potentially replace existing ophthalmic treatments."

He continued, "We also had time to build networks with global pharmaceutical companies and discuss directions for future clinical progress," adding, "Based on excellent preclinical results, we will make thorough preparations for the Phase 1 clinical trial in Australia to ensure that GF103 can become a new therapeutic alternative not only for macular degeneration but also for other ophthalmic diseases."

Meanwhile, ARVO is the world's largest annual academic conference in the fields of ophthalmology and vision science held in the United States. Experts and industry stakeholders from around the world gather to discuss the latest research trends and basic and clinical research papers. This year, the conference is being held in Seattle, Washington, USA, for five days starting from the 5th (local time).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.