NLSInvest: What’s in it for Nordic Life Science companies?

Ciana’s focus is on diabetic retinopathy. Can you please describe your unique approach?
– Thank you for the invitation to discuss our company. At Ciana Therapeutics, we are developing first-in-class and best-in-disease therapies for diabetic retinopathy, which is a serious complication of diabetes that afflicts over 30 million patients in the US and Europe alone. Our lead therapy, danegaptide is a clinical asset with a proven safety profile and strong efficacy in preclinical models of diabetic retinopathy. Danegaptide can uniquely protect from both retinal capillary loss and vascular leakage caused by the hyperglycemia stressed conditions in the eye and address the need for treatments that act earlier in the disease process, upstream of the leading antiVEGF therapies.

Do you see any global trends in this area?
– Yes, we see several emerging trends. Physicians are seeking new therapies with improved efficacy and duration, especially for the large percentage of patients with moderate to severe, non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy. This is of major concern as these patients have already suffered retinal damage and are at high risk of progressing to the severe stages of disease associated with debilitation vision loss and blindness. The increased availability of cost-effective imaging devices enables not only ophthalmologists, but also optometrists and general practitioners to detect retinal damage in the eye earlier in the disease process. This earlier detection of diabetic retinopathy is driving the need for therapies that can treat this retinal pathology earlier and improve patient outcomes.

Nordic Life Science Invest and Nordic Life Science Days will attract delegates from all over the world including investors and big companies looking for novel ideas and seeking collaborations. What do you hope to achieve by participating in these meetings?
– We are pleased to be participating in this meeting. We hope to increase awareness about the need for therapies that can both treat diabetic retinopathy and prevent progression to the later, severe stages associated with debilitating vision loss and blindness. Currently, we are raising a Series A, capital investment to support the completion of our on-going preclinical studies and open an IND (Investigational New Drug application) within the year. This will enable Ciana to initiate clinical trials showing the safety and efficacy of our lead therapy, danegaptide to address the large unmet need for better treatments in patients with moderate to severe, non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy.