While the terms of the license have not been disclosed, Potentia has announced that this agreement will allow the company to move forward with the preclinical development of the first complement-inhibiting drug product aimed at treating both the ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ forms of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Complement activation is an inflammatory process involving dozens of plasma proteins, ultimately leading to cell membrane disruption through the membrane attack complex (MAC). Activation of the complement system is an important part of the body’s defensive immune response against pathogens such as bacteria and viruses.
Over the past 18 months, multiple scientific publications have strongly linked variants of genes encoding components of the complement system with a predisposition toward AMD and drusen formation.
Compstatin is a synthetic 13 amino acid cyclic peptide. It binds tightly to complement component C3, preventing its participation in the complement activation cascade. As C3 is a central component of all three known complement activation pathways, its inhibition effectively shuts down all downstream complement activation that could otherwise lead to local inflammation, tissue damage and upregulation of angiogenic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF).
“We are excited to work with the University of Pennsylvania in developing the first treatment for macular degeneration based on the important genetic findings of the last year,” said Dr Cedric Francois, CEO of Potentia. “Compstatin is one of the best complement-inhibiting drugs available and we look forward to evaluating its potential.”