July 13th, New York, NY
Poignantly crafted from the clearest crystal, the Retina Innovation Award that now claims pride of place in Endogena Therapeutics’ trophy cabinet represents how far the company has come in developing a potential new treatment for people losing their sight because of retinitis pigmenosa (RP).
More than 350 international delegates including clinicians, biotech entrepreneurs and investors recently gathered in New York City for The 6th Ophthalmology Innovation Source Retina Summit, where Endogena Therapeutics’ CEO, Dr Matthias Steger, was presented with the award by the summit’s co-chair, Dr John S. Pollack.
“This award is recognition for the determined work of our team at Endogena now that our groundbreaking potential treatment has entered the clinic. Importantly, it represents new hope for patients with RP”, commented Matthias.
A total of 31 companies had been selected to present their latest clinical data at the event, with Endogena receiving the Retina Innovation Award in recognition for its lead product, EA-2353, a photoreceptor regeneration treatment for RP.
EA-2353 takes a novel, small-molecule approach and selectively activates endogenous retinal stem and progenitor cells, which differentiate into photoreceptors and can hence potentially preserve or restore visual function. This gene-independent treatment approach has significant advantages in RP, which has multiple genetic causes.
RP is a group of inherited diseases causing slow and progressive retinal degeneration and loss of vision, for which there is currently no treatment for most patients. It is a leading cause of inherited blindness, with an estimated 1.5 million people worldwide presently affected.
Launched in 2009 as the first event to showcase novel therapies in development for unmet needs in ophthalmic disease and vision disorders, the Ophthalmology Innovation Summit was founded by ophthalmologist and venture capitalist Emmett Cunningham of Clarus Funds, now Blackstone Life Sciences.