Project description
Revolutionary drug and cell delivery system could improve vision for millions
The retina is an amazing tissue on the inside back wall of the ocular chamber. Its millions of light-sensitive photoreceptors and other cells convert wavelengths of light into neuronal signals that are sent via the optic nerve to the brain where they are perceived as visual images. Degeneration of the retina affects millions - and there is no cure. Some treatments can slow the progress, but they can be associated with suboptimal efficacy, serious complications and side effects. The Israeli SME Everads Therapy Ltd has developed a revolutionary drug and cell delivery system for delivering injectable therapies to the back of the eye. With the goal of overcoming significant challenges in current treatment methodologies for retinal diseases, Everads' platform access method and delivery system offer the promise of improving the efficacy and safety of drug therapies while improving patient compliance and outcomes. The safe, effective, and minimally invasive delivery system is being optimised and the market and business strategy developed with EU-funding of the EIS project.
Objective
Retinal degenerative disease is a debilitating condition with a major impact on daily life. This includes Geographic Atrophy(GA) - as a consequence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) - and advanced Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) - all characterized by photoreceptor loss. In fact, they are the main causes of registered blindness. In this regard, there are no currently effective treatments for patients suffering from GA a and RP, leaving approximately 2.6 million people across Europe and over 5 million worldwide with the risk of developing severe visual impairments. Standard techniques to treat GA and DR, including Intravitreal Injections (IVTs) and subretinal transplantation present major problems associated with them.
Everads developed a treatment for macular and retinal degeneration, utilizing the innovative Everads Injection System (EIS), a minimally invasive platform for optimal injection of Adult Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (hBM-MSCs). Unique treatment approach allows simple, office-based safe transplantation of hBM-MSCs in the matrix between the choroidal blood vessels, providing excellent distribution very close to the target organ (retina) and long-term therapeutic effects, targeting multi-billion market opportunity.
The Everads treatment is safe, minimally-invasive, can be performed in an office setting and ensures 80% drug distribution in the retinal area, aiming for longer lasting effect of drug. It also reduces the risk of side effects like increased Intra Ocular Pressure (IOP), glaucoma, cataract typical of IVT injections.
During the feasibility assessment, a goto market strategy and a supply chain will be established, and further development plan will be drafted. During the phase 2 of innovation project, Everads will perform further product development and cell distribution and dosage escalation activities. Multiple first in human clinical trials will be initiated to obtain marketing license as a drug-device combination
product.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineophthalmologyglaucoma
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicinetransplantation
- medical and health sciencesmedical biotechnologycells technologies
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Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinator
TEL AVIV
Israel
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.