About Diabetic Retinopathy (DR)

What is Diabetic Retinopathy (DR)?

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is one of the common complications of diabetes, which can lead to proliferative retinopathy, macular edema, and eventually blindness.

According to the 74th World Health Organization (WHO) survey, more than 420 million people suffered from diabetes in 2021, and this number is expected to rise to 578 million by 2030. Diabetes rates continue to rise globally, with a corresponding increase in the number of people affected by DR. It is estimated that from 2020 to 2045, the number of DR patients worldwide will increase from 103.12 million to 160.5 million, of whom 44.82 million will develop vision problems.

DR and Anti-VEGF Therapy

Several DR treatments are currently available, including pan-retinal photocoagulation (PRP), pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy. Each target abnormal retinal blood vessels and/or angiogenesis. However, each has a unique mechanism of action. Among them, intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs is a well-established and effective treatment for two major vision-threatening complications of DR, macular edema (CI-DME) and proliferative DR (PDR).

More and more evidence show that anti-VEGF Therapy can effectively slow down DR progression. These therapies work by inhibiting the action of VEGF, a signaling factor that promotes angiogenesis. It is worth mentioning that other methods of delivering anti-VEGF drugs to the vitreous, such as implantable devices and gene delivery vehicles, are being actively investigated in clinical trials. Table 1 lists several FDA-approved anti-VEGF drugs for DR.

Tab.1. Anti-VEGF agents for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy. (Bahr TA, et al., 2023)

Although intravitreal anti-VEGF drugs have been found to be effective in treating DR, improving the progression of non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and regressing neovascularization in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), when using intravitreal anti-VEGF drugs to treat DR patients, there are still some issues that should be considered. It is not commonly used as a monotherapy due to the therapeutic burden of the number of injections required. More commonly, PRP, PPV, and anti-VEGF drugs are used together as needed to manage the various stages.

One-Stop Preclinical DR Studies Solutions

As an industry-leading comprehensive contract research organization (CRO), Ace Therapeutics focuses on the health of ocular diseases and improves ocular diseases by helping customers provide drug discovery and preclinical research solutions. Our support staff averages decades of experience in preclinical ophthalmology research for pharmaceutical companies, biotech companies, and large CROs, who help customers around the world deal with each stage of preclinical drug development. Our one-stop solutions cover the development of ocular disease models, in vivo ocular pharmacodynamic studies, ocular tolerance and safety studies, early pilot studies, and proof-of-concept and bioanalytical levels. All of our projects are customizable and flexible, which allows us to fully understand our clients' needs and how to meet them.

At Ace Therapeutics, our team of experts is dedicated to supporting preclinical DR research. In order to meet the research needs of different customers, we have established a comprehensive DR platform, including multi-species models (rodent, zebrafish, rabbit, miniature pig, canine, and non-human primate (NHP)) to support the development of DR therapies. Our service scope covers the whole process from lead compound discovery to preclinical GLP project implementation. Additionally, we offer development services for anti-VEGF therapies targeting DR. With decades of experience in DR research, our scientists are more than happy to collaborate with your in-house team to accelerate your DR project development.

References

1. Bahr TA, Bakri SJ. Update on the Management of Diabetic Retinopathy: Anti-VEGF Agents for the Prevention of Complications and Progression of Nonproliferative and Proliferative Retinopathy. Life (Basel). 2023, 13(5):1098.
2. Chatziralli I, Loewenstein A. Intravitreal Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Agents for the Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy: A Review of the Literature. Pharmaceutics. 2021, 13(8):1137.
3. Arrigo A, Aragona E, Bandello F. VEGF-targeting drugs for the treatment of retinal neovascularization in diabetic retinopathy. Ann Med. 2022, 54(1):1089-1111.

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