Thursday, February 27, 2020
Gemini Therapeutics, a clinical stage precision medicine company developing innovative treatments for dry Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and linked ocular disorders, today announced a collaboration with the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) to expand knowledge and identify new targets associated with AMD.
Under the terms of the agreement, SERI and Gemini will explore the link between genetic and potential biomarkers in patients diagnosed with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). This approach will leverage Gemini’s experience using precision medicine to develop potential therapeutics for genetically defined patient populations. Gemini will use this information to increase its understanding of the links between genetic variants, the impact on the expression of specific genes, and the diagnosis of PCV. PCV and AMD are related diseases, and there are shared genetic causes between the two conditions. This collaboration will inform future development of more targeted therapies for both conditions.
Talking about the collaboration, Prof Gemmy Cheung, who heads AMD research at SERI said, “Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy represents a significant proportion of patients with neovascular AMD, especially in Asia. Currently there are limited or no specific treatment options for PCV. Exploring the molecular impact of specific genes linked to PCV in this SERI-Gemini collaboration will provide important new information towards designing innovative therapies in future. We are very excited indeed.”
“Our collaboration with SERI is an important extension of the work we’re doing at Gemini to increase understanding and improve the treatment of AMD. As we progress our current clinical program of GEM103, a recombinant Complement Factor H therapy, in dry AMD, expanding our understanding of related ocular diseases and taking a genetic starting point to develop therapeutic options for those patients is a natural next step,” said Jason Meyenburg, Chief Executive Officer of Gemini. “SERI is one of the foremost centers for the study of major eye diseases in the world and we are thrilled to collaborate with them on this important project.”
