Thursday, February 28, 2019
PharmOptima, a member of Genesis Drug Discovery & Development (GD3), the contract research organization (CRO) arm of Genesis Biotechnology Group® (GBG), and Ophthy-DS, a preclinical CRO providing ocular drug discovery services, have announced a collaborative operating agreement.
Together, PharmOptima and Ophthy-DS will leverage their complimentary expertise to offer pharmaceutical companies a single reliable source for ocular drug discovery, development, safety, and pharmacokinetics. With this agreement, clients will gain increased access to an integrated portfolio of drug discovery services—from target validation and assay development to identification and optimization of clinical candidates.
For over a decade, Ophthy-DS has provided pharmacology models of ocular disease including Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), Glaucoma, Uveitis, Dry Eye, Corneal Injury, and Retinitis Pigmentosa. Utilizing clinical endpoints such as electroretinography (ERG), visual acuity, and ocular imaging including Optical coherence tomography (OCT), angiography and confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (cSLO), Ophthy-DS has helped clients translate findings from bench to bedside. With an on-staff veterinary ophthalmologist and industry-trained scientists, Ophthy-DS offers a wide range of experience to elevate both the efficacy and safety of a wide range of therapies.
For over 15 years, PharmOptima has been a leading CRO conducting preclinical research, with extensive experience in Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion (ADME), ocular tissue dissection, Pharmacokinetics (PK) and tolerability studies, as well as specialized extraction and homogenization of ocular fluids and tissues.
"Using our years of Pharma experience, we help companies move their projects through development as if they were our own projects. We have been on your side of the desk and understand the needs of the development process," says Dr. Jeff Jamison, CEO of Ophthy-DS. "This new agreement will fortify what we can offer our clients, allowing them to do PK in parallel with efficacy testing."
"This collaboration is an excellent fit with our mission—to improve patient care and advance the quality of treatment options through the discovery and development of novel therapeutics. Together, our highly complementary services will enable clients to access a comprehensive portfolio of ocular drug discovery and development services," says Dr. Eli Mordechai, CEO of Genesis Biotechnology Group.
