Integrin peptide therapy is an emerging treatment for neovascular eye disease that works by blocking several pathways in the angiogenic cascade independent of VEGF. At the 2012 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), Dr. Quiroz-Mercado presented preliminary studies on the use of a single intravitreal  injection of a synthetic integrin oligopeptide (ALG-1001, Allegro Ophthalmics) for diabetic macular edema (DME). A Phase 1b/2a study on the use of ALG-1001 for neovascular AMD is underway. As Dr. Quiroz-Mercado explains, the drug has already shown promise as a complementary treatment to current monoclonal anti-VEGF therapies such as ranibizumab.

Financial Disclosure: Dr. Quiroz-Mercado is an equity owner in Allegro Ophthalmics.