Pterygium

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Victoria, Australia led one of the largest eye studies in the world that used AI to analyse eye images of over 50,000 people to better understand the retina's connection with various diseases. The international study, funded by California-based Lowy Medical Research Institute, tapped into a dataset of optical coherence tomography (OCT) images from around 54,000 individuals stored at the UK Biobank. Utilising a convolutional neural network, it generated "the highest-resolution spatial dataset of retinal thickness ever produced," creating 50,000 maps with measurements at over 29,000 locations across the retina. Moorfields Eye Hospital and University College London from the United Kingdom and the University of Washington in the United States were collaborators in the study. FINDINGS While previous studies have indicated correlations between retinal thickness and diseases, the WEHI-led research provided a deeper look into the complex anatomy of the retina. One of the significant findings of this study, published in Nature Communications, is that reduced retinal thickness is "highly associated" with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic neurological disease affecting the brain and spine. "This result provides strong, independent confirmation of multiple reports of the utility of OCT as the source of biomarkers for MS and MS progression," it added. Retinal thinning is also highly associated with a range of other neurodegenerative diseases, as well as cardio-metabolic disorders. "We illustrated that the retina has unique metabolic sensitivities, with retinal thickness associated with multiple systemic metabolic diseases, and metabolites previously implicated in several retinal diseases," the study explained. Additionally, the study identified genetic factors that influence retinal thickness, suggesting that at least 294 genes play a role in the retina's growth and development. WHY IT MATTERS Researchers claim their study opens up the potential for using routine eye imaging to screen for and manage diseases. Neurodegenerative conditions like dementia and metabolic disorders such as diabetes are linked to degeneration or disruption of the central nervous system, which the retina is a part of. "We’ve shown that retinal imaging can act as a window to the brain, by detecting associations with neurological disorders like multiple sclerosis and many other conditions," lead researcher Dr Vicki Jackson from WEHI. The study specifically points to the potential for retinal thickness as a diagnostic biomarker "to aid in detecting and tracking the progression of numerous diseases." "We can now pinpoint specific locations of the retina which show key changes in some diseases," Dr Jackson said. Moreover, the study contributes to the growing field of oculomics as a "non-invasive approach for predicting and diagnosing diseases." THE LARGER TREND Another Australian study has linked the damage to the conjunctiva of the eye to pterygium, or tissue growth on the cornea, which can be an early predictor of skin cancer. A desktop and mobile AI-driven detection system has been developed to assess sun-related eye damage. The Singapore Eye Research Institute has also utilised AI to scan people's retinal photos and assess their health conditions. Over the past five years, it developed two novel solutions: one for screening chronic kidney disease and another for predicting a person's biological age. Meanwhile, in China, a generative AI model was built for automated eye disease diagnosis. Called VisionFM, it was pre-trained using 3.4 million eye images from over 500,000 people worldwide. Besides diagnosing eye diseases, it can be applied to eye disease progression prediction, systemic biomarker prediction through ocular imaging, intracranial tumour prediction, and lesion, vessel, and layer segmentation.

SAN FRANCISCO--( BUSINESS WIRE )--CellViva, a biopharmaceutical company pioneering the development of an innovative anti-VEGF therapy for pterygium—an unmet medical need in ophthalmology, is proud to announce the appointment of three distinguished leaders in ophthalmology to its Board of Directors: Drs. Adrienne Graves, Kathryn Najafi-Tagol, and Richard Lindstrom. Meet the New Board Members Dr. Adrienne Graves: Former Board Chair of Iveric Bio, Dr. Graves brings decades of experience in clinical development and strategic leadership within the ophthalmology sector. Her insights will be invaluable as CellViva advances its pipeline and prepares for clinical trials. Dr. Kathryn Najafi-Tagol: Founder of the Eye Institute of Marin, co-inventor of Avenova, a treatment for dry eye associated with blepharitis, and former Chief Medical Officer of NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Najafi brings extensive clinical and pharmaceutical development experience. Her expertise will be instrumental in addressing significant unmet needs in ophthalmology. Dr. Richard Lindstrom: A world-renowned cataract and refractive surgeon and founder of Minnesota Eye Consultants, Dr. Lindstrom offers a wealth of knowledge in surgical innovations and industry expertise. His guidance will be critical in steering CellViva’s clinical strategy. “We are thrilled to welcome Drs. Graves, Najafi and Lindstrom to our Board of Directors,” said Randal Pham, Board Chair, President and CEO of CellViva. “Their combined knowledge and experience in ophthalmology will be pivotal as we advance our mission to develop a groundbreaking treatment for pterygium.” Driving Innovation This announcement marks a significant milestone for CellViva as the company continues to expand its leadership in developing novel therapies for eye diseases. With the expertise of its newly appointed Board members, CellViva is poised to make impactful advancements in ophthalmic treatments. About Pterygium Pterygium, commonly referred to as "surfer’s eye," is a benign growth of the conjunctiva that extends onto the cornea. This condition, often associated with prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light, wind, and dust, can cause symptoms such as irritation, redness, and vision impairment. In severe cases, it can lead to scarring and significant visual obstruction. Currently, there are limited non-surgical treatment options available, making it an important unmet medical need. CellViva’s focus on developing an innovative product to provide patients with an effective therapy, addressing a critical gap in ophthalmic care. About CellViva CellViva is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing innovative therapies for ophthalmic and dermatologic conditions. For more information, visit [ www.cellviva.com ]( https://cellviva.com/ ).

According to a survey of volunteers for the ongoing phase 3 trial of Cloudbreak Pharma's lead candidate, a treatment for the disease known as "surfer's eye," more than three-quarters of respondents said they were “extremely interested” in a new eye-drop-based treatment that would both address their symptoms and delay the need for surgery. Cloudbreak Pharma is riding the wave of new survey results highlighting patients’ desire for a new treatment option for the ocular disease pterygium—say, like the drug that Cloudbreak, coincidentally, is currently developing. The Southern California biotech shared the survey’s findings during the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery’s annual meeting in Boston this month. The 60 respondents came from the pool of volunteers for Cloudbreak’s ongoing phase 3 trial of its lead candidate, CBT-001, a multikinase inhibitor aimed at slowing or stopping the progression of pterygium and either postponing or completely eliminating the need for eye surgery to treat the condition. Pterygium, also known as “surfer’s eye,” is most commonly caused by long-term exposure to the sun’s UV rays and results in an overgrowth of the conjunctiva tissue, which can spread from the inner corner of the eye to the cornea, potentially affecting vision and causing irritation. Data cited by Cloudbreak in Friday’s announcement suggest that around 15 million people in the U.S. alone have pterygium, and only about one in every six of those people have actually received a formal diagnosis. Currently, according to the company, there are no approved pharmacological treatments specifically for pterygium; patients may seek symptom relief via eye drops or undergo surgery to remove the growth, which may not be a permanent solution. According to the survey results (PDF), more than three-quarters of respondents said they were “extremely interested” in a new eye-drop-based treatment that would both address their symptoms and delay the need for surgery. More than 60% of those surveyed had already tried at least one type of prescription or over-the-counter eye drops, and 13% had undergone surgery for the condition—though all saw their pterygium recur after the procedure. While 22% of patients said they hadn’t yet faced any challenges while being treated for pterygium, about half felt differently, citing as their biggest challenges the limited and ineffective treatment options and the impact of symptoms on their mental health and daily lives. The survey also uncovered a slow road to pterygium diagnosis: About half of respondents said they didn’t consult a healthcare provider until at least two years after they first began experiencing symptoms, and fewer than 60% received their diagnosis within a month of reporting their symptoms to a doctor. In total, nearly 90% of patients were already symptomatic by the time they received a diagnosis, with irritation, discomfort and the sensation of a foreign body in their eye the most common pre-diagnosis symptoms. And those symptoms continue long after the issue has been identified. More than 50% of respondents said they still experience redness, irritation, foreign body sensation, sensitivity to light or itchiness, and, when they were asked to rate the level of burden of 12 symptoms, all received an average rating of at least “mild bother,” with light sensitivity crossing into “moderate bother” territory and a handful of others—including foreign body sensation, blurred vision and dryness—not far behind. Altogether, half of those surveyed said pterygium has a “considerable” impact on their lives and can affect their daily activities, per Cloudbreak. “Pterygium is far more common and has far more impact on patients—than implied by the casual name, ‘surfer’s eye.’ Chronic symptoms can impose a daily burden on people grappling with the disease, and unfortunately many people who experience symptoms face challenges receiving a formal diagnosis,” Abu Abraham, M.D., Cloudbreak’s chief medical officer, said in the company release. “Cloudbreak Pharma recognizes the urgent and growing need for new non-surgical treatment options to address the debilitating symptoms associated with pterygium and help delay or avoid the need for surgery for these patients for whom there have been so few options.” According to the biotech, the CBT-001 asset showed “positive results” in its phase 2 trial, which assessed the med’s ability to reduce pterygium vascularity and inhibit lesion growth when administered three times a day for four weeks. The phase 3 trial, meanwhile, will study twice-daily doses for 24 months, with primary endpoints of reducing conjunctival hyperemia caused by pterygium and inhibiting lesion length progression.