BERKELEY, Calif., April 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Valitor, a biotechnology company engineering better medicines to conquer drug limitations, today announced new data from VLTR-557, its long-acting anti-VEGF biologic in development for durable wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treatment. These data are being presented at the 2023 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting taking place April 23-27, 2023 in New Orleans, LA.
The preclinical results demonstrated highly-localized and sustained drug exposure to ocular tissues and also confirmed the anti-VEGF bioactivity of VLTR-557. In addition, VLTR-557 exhibited high binding affinity to VEGF-A and remained stable under physiologic conditions for six months. Importantly, the initial formulations were well-tolerated. These data suggest that a single intravitreal (ITV) injection of VLTR-557 has potential to maintain clinical efficacy for more than six months.
“These are exciting data, which demonstrate a highly differentiated profile compared to available AMD treatments. Specifically, results show that a single administration of VLTR-557, our long-acting anti-VEGF biologic for AMD, has the potential to maintain clinical efficacy with a standardized administration protocol of once every six months, which is longer than the current anti-VEGF biologics that require patient-specific dosing intervals,” said Wesley Jackson, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Valitor. “Current available AMD treatments are limited by the need for more frequent injections and inconsistent patient-to-patient dosing protocols, which often leads to poor compliance and lower long-term efficacy. Our multivalent polymer technology, as demonstrated with VLTR-557, is designed to overcome these challenges by enabling long-acting results with reliable intravitreal durability and providing better treatment options for patients with AMD.”
Highlights from the VLTR-557 Poster Presentation
Pharmacokinetics Overview
- The half-life of VLTR-557 in the vitreous humor was 15.6 days, and its half-life in the other ocular tissues was approximately the same
- The retina/choroid tissues had the second highest concentration of VLTR-557, which was approximately one third of the concentration in the vitreous humor
- The serum concentration of VLTR-557 was approximately 10,000X lower than the vitreous humor concentration
- Changes in VLTR-557 concentration in systemic tissues were similar to those in the serum-level concentrations
Pharmacodynamics Overview
- VLTR-557 exhibited sub-picomolar affinity to VEGF-A, resulting in rapid attenuation of VEGF signaling in vitro
- VLTR-557 remained stable and maintained high binding affinity to VEGF for 6 months under physiological conditions
Safety Overview
- The pilot formulations of VLTR-557 appeared to be tolerated in a repeat-dose preclinical model
Poster Presentation Details
| Title: | VLTR-557: A long-acting anti-VEGF biologic in development for durable wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) |
| Session Title: | AMD antiVEGF |
| Session Date & Time: | Monday, April 24, 2023; 3:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. CT |
| Poster Number: | 2219 - C0172 |
About the MVP Technology
Valitor’s Multivalent Polymer (MVP) technology platform originated at U.C. Berkeley. The MVP platform is based on proprietary multi-valent biopolymers that are coupled with bioactive molecules. The biopolymers and bioactive molecules are interchangeable, which enables Valitor to assemble novel macromolecular entities that are engineered to overcome a multitude of specific drug design challenges for their target indications. Unlike other methods of drug modification that are designed to modify individual drug properties, Valitor’s novel approach allows for independent control of multiple drug attributes, including pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic properties, improved target engagement/tissue localization, therapeutic durability, and improved safety. In research studies, Valitor’s novel compounds have shown >1,000-fold increases in potency, up to 10-fold increases in tissue retention, and excellent preclinical safety.
About Valitor
Valitor is conquering limitations of established drug targets by leveraging its multi-valent biopolymer technology to maximize benefits for patients. The company is engineering disruptive medicines that optimize how and where disease mechanisms are targeted to produce the most significant clinical impact. Valitor is initially focused on improving patient outcomes in ophthalmology and vision-threatening diseases. The company has won numerous awards and grants, including from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Eye Institute (NEI), National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), among others. Valitor is based at the Bakar BioEnginuity Hub at U.C. Berkeley. For more information on the company, please visit its website at https://www.valitorbio.com/ or follow its LinkedIn page.
Investor and Media Contacts
Heather Armstrong
harmstrong@wheelhouselsa.com
Aljanae Reynolds
areynolds@wheelhouselsa.com
Valitor Contact
info@valitorbio.com
