In December 2011, following that year’s AAO Meeting, I wrote about Hemera Biosciences and its complement regulation therapy via the use of gene therapy to prevent membrane attack complex (MAC), the final stage of the complement cascade that is implicated in both dry and wet AMD. (Gene Therapy in Ophthalmology Update 5: A Complement-Based Gene Therapy for AMD)
I am now happy to report that Hemera has obtained initial funding, along with the issuance of a US Patent and can now begin manufacturing its drug, soluble CD59 (protectin), perform animal toxicology and initiate a phase 1 clinical study.