For the first time, scientists have successfully transplanted light-detecting cells in the retina, grown from embryonic stem cells, into mice–a feat that could advance similar therapies using the artificial cells to treat degenerative eye diseases toward human trials. The animal transplant is a huge step for embryonic stem cell-based therapies, which have moved slowly to…
Rafal Farjo, PhD, COO of eyecro, told Outsourcing-pharma.com that the “demand for ophthalmology studies is increasing. Many research scientists are uncovering new mechanisms and targets for ophthalmic disease, it is also becoming apparent that there is pathology in common with many other clinical indications. eyecro specializes in ophthalmic studies of preclinical efficacy, pharmacokinetics, toxicology, and…
Scott Township, PA – June 10, 2013 – Calvert Labs and eyecro, two leading providers in early-stage ocular drug research and development, announced today that they have entered into a strategic partnership to expedite preclinical drug development activities. “This partnership will facilitate a seamless transition from the discovery and non-GLP stage of drug development to…
An overwhelming majority of people with age-related macular degeneration would rather test their vision with an iPad app than with traditional methods, a new study shows. “One of the major advantages of iPad testing is that patients are much more involved in their disease. They’re engaged,” Matthias Hartmann, MD, an ophthalmologist in private practice from…
Having diabetic retinopathy and/or microalbuminuria predicted a much higher rate of annual decline in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in a new study of patients with type 2 diabetes living in Japan. Diabetic retinopathy is a known risk factor for microalbuminuria, and microalbuminuria is a risk factor for macroalbuminuria, but to date it has been unclear…
“Dr. Rafal Farjo, Chief Operating Officer of eyecro, gives a seminar to Members-in-Training on Transitioning from Academia to a Start-up. At the 2013 Annual meeting of the Association for Research in vision and Ophthalmology in Seattle.”
An international research collaborative has identified 7 new genetic loci associated with an increased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), bringing the total number of known AMD-susceptibility loci in the human genome to 19. Scientists from 18 research groups in 14 countries formed the consortium in the spring of 2010 with the goal of…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first artificial retina, an implanted device that replicates some of the function of the retina, helping to restore vision to people blinded with a rare genetic disorder. The device is intended to replace the function of light-sensing cells in the retina destroyed by retinitis pigmentosa, an…
New findings from a landmark clinical trial show that although certain gene variants may predict whether a person is likely to develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD), these genes do not predict how patients will respond to Lucentis™ and Avastin™, the two medications most widely used to treat the “wet” form of AMD. This new data…
Diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, cone-rod dystrophy and Stargardt disease cause scotomas, or blind spots, which often have devastating effects on central vision. They cause gaps in a person’s visual field, making it difficult to see words in a book, images on a computer monitor or TV and the features of someone’s face. A…