On March 16, 2017 Elasmogen Ltd, developer of soloMERTM biologics, reported that it has received a Biomedical Catalyst Grant from the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK and matching investment from Deepbridge Capital and Scottish Investment Bank (the investment arm of Scottish Enterprise) totalling £1.2 M (Press release, Elasmogen, MAR 16, 2017, View Source [SID1234637761]). The funding will be used to develop ELN-21 and ELN-22, the companies’ next generation biologics for topical treatment of ocular disease. Current treatments for ocular diseases such as uveitis and macular degeneration require either systemic dosing or direct injection into the eye. soloMERs are Elasmogen’s proprietary humanized versions of shark VNARs, the smallest naturally occurring binding domains. The small size (11 kDa) and highly robust nature of soloMERs make them ideal for delivering topically applied sight saving therapies while reducing systemic side effects and eliminating the need for injections. "We have recently completed our proof of concept trials demonstrating the ability to deliver therapeutic concentrations of soloMERs to the back of the eye by topical delivery," said Elasmogen CEO Caroline Barelle. "Winning the Biomedical Catalyst grant along with the new investment will allow us to build on these results and prepare our anti-inflammatory and anti-autoimmune soloMERs for phase 1 clinical trials." "Use of corticosteroids for treatment of ocular inflammation carries the risk of significant side effects including glaucoma and cataracts," said John Forrester Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology, The Lions Eye Institute, Australia and University of Aberdeen, Scotland. "A fast acting, topically applied biologic that can reach all parts of the eye would provide significant benefit to uveitis and other ocular disease patients." Kerry Sharp, Head of the Scottish Investment Bank said, "We are pleased to be able to support Elasmogen, initially through our High-Growth Spinout Programme which helps researchers to take their ideas and inventions from the lab to the global marketplace, and now through matched investment from the Scottish Venture Fund. The company has made significant technical progress in a short space of time and its sight-saving auto-immune therapies have the potential to make a notable social, as well as commercial, impact. We look forward to working with Deepbridge Capital to further support and nurture the exciting opportunity presented by Elasmogen."
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