According to the Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures newsletter, Johns Hopkins University www.hopkinsmedicine.org and Bayer HealthCare www.healthcare.bayer.com signed a five year collaboration in June to jointly develop new ophthalmic therapies targeting retinal diseases.
Researchers at the Wilmer Eye Institute www.hopkinsmedicine.org/wilmer at Johns Hopkins and Bayer HealthCare will jointly conduct research to evaluate new targets and disease mechanisms, drug delivery technologies, and biomarkers for back-of-the-eye diseases with high unmet medical solutions.
The collaboration aims to treat many people worldwide with:
- Age-related macular degeneration
- Diabetic macular edema
- Geographic atrophy
- Stargardt’s disease
- Retinal vein occlusion
Both parties will contribute personnel and infrastructure to address important scientific questions. Bayer HealthCare will have an option for the exclusive use of the collaboration results.
“There is a critical need for new therapies that that treat a variety of serious diseases of the eye”, said, Peter McDonnell, Director of the Wilmer Eye Institute and Professor of Ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.