GERMANY— Boehringer Ingelheim, a reputable biotech firm from Germany, has partnered with RetinAI, a Swiss-based organization specializing in AI technology, to advance the development of its retinal therapeutics programs.
This exciting collaboration aims to target geographic atrophy (GA), a severe form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) that can lead to vision loss.
As the likelihood of developing GA increases with age, the prevalence of this condition is set to grow as populations age globally.
Therefore, finding new treatment options for GA presents a significant opportunity for the healthcare industry.
RetinAI entered into a similar collaboration in 2020 with Novartis, initially focused on neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
Currently, around 5 million people worldwide are living with GA, and unfortunately, there are no approved therapies to prevent its onset or treat its progression.
GA is characterized by key symptoms such as a dark spot in the field of vision, difficulty adapting to low light, visual hallucinations, visual distortions, and more.
Addressing these unmet needs would significantly improve the quality of life of GA patients.
Boehringer Ingelheim has previously worked on GA, collaborating with CDR-Life in May 2020 to develop an antibody fragment-based therapeutic.
The partnership with CDR-Life could bring the company over US$530 million in upfront and milestone payments, indicating Boehringer’s commitment to finding a treatment for GA.
Moreover, Boehringer has several other retinal disease treatment candidates in various stages of clinical development. However, details regarding these candidates remain undisclosed at the moment.
Nevertheless, the company’s focus areas for GA include a phospholipid modulator, a vascular modulator, an ischemia modulator, and a Sema3A antibody.
These retinal therapeutics are expected to significantly improve the lives of individuals with retinal diseases, including GA.
RetinAI, founded in 2017, is an AI technology company that focuses on analyzing health data from the eyes.
With its expertise in data analysis and clinical research, RetinAI has become an ideal partner for Boehringer Ingelheim as the German biotech company aims to advance its retinal therapeutic space.
The partnership is expected to accelerate the development of novel biomarkers and predictors of disease progression, using Boehringer’s imaging datasets from clinical trials and real-world data.
RetinAI’s Discovery platform and AI tools are designed to provide robust disease insights and accelerate research, particularly in the area of GA.
Dr. Carlos Ciller, CEO of RetinAI, expressed confidence in the partnership, saying that it has the potential to pave the way for novel treatments that are better tailored to a patient’s disease. As a result, this could transform the lives of people living with retinal diseases.
While the press release did not disclose any financial figures, this exciting development is a significant milestone in the GA space.
As the prevalence of GA continues to grow year over year, the need for innovative treatments is becoming increasingly urgent.
Therefore, the collaboration between Boehringer Ingelheim and RetinAI could lead to significant breakthroughs that could ultimately improve the quality of life for millions of people living with retinal diseases.
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