ALSA Ventures Launches Vantage Biosciences with Oral Therapy VX-01 for Diabetic Eye Disease, Files IPO Prospectus

July 26,ALSA Ventures has launched a new company from its investment portfolio,Vantage Biosciences (“Vantage”), dedicated to the development of novel therapies, announced its lead pipeline candidate, VX-01. VX-01 is an oral therapy for diabetic eye disease and is scheduled to enter Phase II clinical trials in mid-2024.

“We are pleased to launch the new company Vantage Biosciences and advance VX-01 into Phase II clinical trials,VX-01 is poised to make significant strides in addressing the unmet need for treatments for diabetic eye disease.“Alek Safarian, Executive Partner at ALSA Ventures, stated: ‘Our goal is to further develop the VX-01 therapy into an oral intervention with the potential to prevent or alter the progression of diabetic eye disease. By enabling early intervention before irreversible damage occurs, VX-01 can significantly reduce the burden of diabetic eye disease and preserve vision in high-risk patients.’”

Diabetic eye disease is the leading cause of blindness among the working-age population. One in three patients with diabetes develops diabetic eye disease, affecting over 382 million people worldwide, typically onsetting 5–6 years after the diagnosis of diabetes.

▲ Pathological Changes in the Retinal Neurovascular Unit in Diabetic Patients

Currently, the primary treatment for diabetic eye disease involves a series of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) drugs. These interventions are mainly administered in the late stages of the disease, requiring regular invasive intravitreal injections to address microvascular complications that arise in the later phases.

The treatment of retinopathy is currently facing challenges. Although existing drugs can effectively reduce the risk of vision loss in various ophthalmic diseases, they are not suitable for widespread use in the early stages of disease, when oral medications would offer better patient adherence. Furthermore, these drugs target microvascular sequelae in the late stages of disease rather than addressing the underlying cause: comprehensive damage to the neurovascular unit (comprising retinal neurons, glial cells, and pericytes and endothelial cells of adjacent microvessels) directly induced by neuroinflammation.

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Vantage aims to provide an innovative oral therapy that fundamentally eliminates diabetes-induced microvascular disease by blocking the chronic, low-grade inflammation of the ocular neurovascular unit.

▲ Vantage Pipeline Progress

Vantage believes that copper-containing amine oxidase-3 (AOC-3, also known as vascular adhesion protein-1) is the central player in coordinating this pathological process.

Preclinical studies have demonstrated that selective inhibition of AOC-3 in the eye reduces leukocyte infiltration, vascular occlusion, hypoxia, ischemia, aneurysm formation, and vascular injury within the neurovascular unit of the retinal endothelial barrier. VX-01 exerts its anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting AOC-3, thereby reducing leukocyte infiltration in the retina, decreasing local production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the vessel wall, and downregulating associated ROS-activated signaling pathways.

The first Phase II clinical trial is scheduled to begin patient enrollment in mid-2024.If successful, VX-01 will become a therapy that changes the current treatment paradigm for diabetic eye disease.To provide a more convenient and effective alternative to existing therapies.

Vantage Biosciences targets the root cause of diabetes-induced vision loss—the degeneration of the ocular neurovascular unit driven by neuroinflammatory injury preceding microangiopathy. Vantage’s mission is to enable patients to access disease-modifying therapies for diabetic eye disease by developing drugs that allow for early intervention in the disease course.

ALSA Ventures is an early-stage investment firm in the life sciences sector, building a portfolio of companies founded on innovative insights into the treatment of diseases that currently have limited or no therapeutic options. ALSA leverages an extensive global network of preclinical and clinical experts to gain deep understanding of relevant disease biology, then applies the team’s expertise and operational experience to identify opportunities for therapeutic intervention.

ALSA focuses on improving patient outcomes by unlocking the full potential of clinical-stage companies. While continuously expanding its portfolio, ALSA remains steadfast in its mission: to deliver life-changing therapies to patients worldwide.