# A new drug entity for combination therapy of diabetic retinopathy

> **NIH NIH R43** · EVERGLADES BIOPHARMA, LLC · 2021 · $256,582

## Abstract

Project Summary
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of vision loss in working adults. A major breakthrough in DR therapy
is the advent and approval of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors. However, anti-VEGF therapy
has limited efficacy. The critical barrier is how to improve treatment efficacy in patients resistant to VEGF
inhibitors. One of the strategies is to simultaneously inhibit two different angiogenic factors for additive or
synergistic combination therapy of anti-VEGF-resistant DR. We have discovered a novel disease-selective
angiogenic factor that contributes to DR pathogenesis through a VEGF-independent receptor pathway and,
therefore, is a potential target for combination therapy. We further developed neutralizing monoclonal antibodies
and demonstrated their high efficacy to alleviate DR in animal models with minimal side effects. The goal of this
project is to develop a new pharmacological agent that enables concurrent inhibition of VEGF and this novel
angiogenic factor for combination therapy of DR. In Aim 1, we will engineer such dual pharmacological inhibitors
to simultaneously targets VEGF and our novel angiogenic factor and characterize their ligand-binding affinity
and neutralizing activity. In Aim 2, we will characterize therapeutic efficacy of these dual inhibitors and analyze
their safety profiles. The efficacy and safety profiles of these dual inhibitors will be compared to monotherapies.
One of the optimal dual inhibitors with maximal improved efficacy and minimal side effects will be selected for
further development toward clinical trials in the next phase. Therefore, this project has a potential to develop a
new drug entity for combination anti-angiogenic therapy of DR with improved efficacy.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10255782
- **Project number:** 1R43EY032827-01
- **Recipient organization:** EVERGLADES BIOPHARMA, LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Wei Li
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $256,582
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10255782

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10255782, A new drug entity for combination therapy of diabetic retinopathy (1R43EY032827-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10255782. Licensed CC0.

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