Date: 2016-03-16
Type of information: Licensing agreement
Compound: lanosterol
Company: Acucela (USA - MA) YouHealth Eyetech, a subsidiary of Guangzhou Kang Rui Biological Pharmaceutical Technology (China)
Therapeutic area: Ophtalmological diseases
Type agreement:
Action mechanism:
Disease: Cataracts
Details: * On March 16, 2016, Acucela and YouHealth Eyetech announced an agreement involving an exclusive option from YouHealth on lanosterol technology licensed from the Regents of the University of California, San Diego for the non-surgical pharmacologic treatment of cataracts. Currently, there is no non-surgical treatment available for cataracts. A non-invasive therapy that improves lens clarity and vision at the early stage of cataract development and may reverse lens opacification at later stages would be considered a significant medical breakthrough. Acucela plans to initially evaluate lanosterol as a treatment for mild cataracts with an option to fully develop and commercialize the compound globally with the exception of Greater China including China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The use of lanosterol in other ophthalmic conditions such as presbyopia may be investigated by Acucela in the future. YouHealth’s parent company, Guangzhou Kang Rui Biological Pharmaceutical Technology Co., will be responsible for lanosterol’s clinical development and commercialization in Greater China including China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Lanosterol, a naturally occurring compound found in the human body, has shown promise for this condition in several preclinical studies. It has been identified as a key molecule in the prevention of lens protein aggregation and lens opacification. A scientific collaboration between Dr. Kang Zhang MD, PhD, Dept. of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Diego and scientists associated with Kang Rui identified two genetic mutations that impair key catalytic functions responsible for maintaining the normal crystalline structure of the lens. They then identified and published the therapeutic effect of lanosterol in in-vitro, cell-transfection and in-vivo experiments.
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