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Kiora Pharmaceuticals Receives Clinical Trial Approval for First-in-Human Evaluation of KIO-301 to Restore Vision in Patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa
Salt Lake City, Utah--(Newsfile Corp. - June 27, 2022) - Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: KPRX) ("Kiora" or the "Company") received approval to initiate a
About this update from Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Salt Lake City, Utah--(Newsfile Corp. - June 27, 2022) - Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: KPRX) (\"Kiora\" or the \"Company\") received approval to initiate a first-in-human clinical trial for KIO-301, which is intended to restore lost vision in patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare, inherited genetic eye disease that causes severe loss of functional vision due to degeneration of the retinal photoreceptors (rods and cones).\nThe ABACUS study is a Phase 1b open label, single ascending dose clinical trial for people living with Retinitis Pigmentosa. This single-site study will be conducted at The Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) in Adelaide, South Australia under the direction of Principal Investigator Professor Robert Casson, MBBS (Hons), DPhil, of the Royal Adelaide Hospital, and Dr Russell Van Gelder, MD, PhD, of the University of Washington.\n\"This is a pivotal development for Kiora as we pursue the goal of restoring functional vision in patients living with retinitis pigmentosa,\" said Eric J. Daniels, MD, Chief Development Officer of Kiora. \"We anticipate beginning enrollment of this study in the third quarter of this year and reporting interim data from this trial by the end of this year.\"\nKIO-301 is a visible light-sensitive small molecule that acts as a reversible 'photoswitch', specifically designed to restore the eyes' ability to perceive and interpret light in visually impaired patients. KIO-301 selectively enters retinal ganglion cells (those downstream of degenerated rods and cones) and 'switches' them into light sensing cells, capable of signaling the brain as to the presence or absence of visible light.\nAbout Kiora Pharmaceuticals\nKiora is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing and commercializing products for the treatment of ophthalmic diseases. KIO-301 is being developed for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa. It is a molecular photoswitch that has the potential to restore vision in patients with inherited and/or age-related retinal degeneration. KIO-101 is being developed for the treatment of the Ocular Presentation of Rheumatoid Arthritis (\"OPRA\"). It is a next-generation, non-steroidal, immuno-modulatory and small molecule inhibitor of Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase (\"DHODH\") with what Kiora believes is best-in-class picomolar potency and a validated immune modulating mechanism (bl...