The title of article is “OBM1701 Alleviates Choroidal Neovascularization in Experimental Animals Via Suppressing the Expression of HIF-1α in Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells”. Article can be found from the website of https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12369909/.

Results not only demonstrate the mechanism of actions (MOA) of how OBM1701 works but also shows topically applied OBM1701 can effectively diffuse into and residue in the retina without the need being injected into vitreous cavity of the eye. All of the current approved anti-wet-AMD drugs require to be repeatedly administrated by intravitreal injection that can cause some side effects, such as temporary discomfort, redness, and increased floaters in the vision.

The superior advantages of possible route of administration by giving with eye drops of OBM1701 over the current drugs strongly further indicates its tremendously high commercial value of developing OBM1701 into a novel therapeutic for wet-AMD patients and provide better care to the patients.

Roger has more than 30 years’ experience as a CPA in senior finance roles including CFO and Company Secretarial services for both listed and unlisted entities across a variety of industries including pharmaceutical and biotech.

Prior to joining Oculus, Roger was CFO and Company Secretary for a number of SME’s both listed and unlisted including Bio-Gene Technology Ltd and Patrys Ltd.  In these roles he was responsible for all financial affairs and corporate administration as well as assisting in investor relations activities.

OBM recently attended Australias premier biotechnology conference in Brisbane – represented by CEO Andrew Coloretti & Non-Executive Director Michelle Gallaher. The conference included valuable one-on-one private meetings with industry executives and service providers. Importantly it was an opportunity to build brand awareness, network with delegates and exchange information about OBM.

The project aims to develop a less-invasive anti-VEGF therapy “SwitchGene” that patients can self-administer through eye drop to treat diabetic eye diseases. Existing anti-VEGF therapeutic paradigms require ongoing intraocular injections, which are costly and carry the risk of injury and infection. This causes undue stress and discomfort to patients and places a strain on public healthcare systems. To address the clinically unmet needs for managing diabetic eye disease, the project has pioneered a strategy to install an anti-VEGF gene in the back of the eye through adeno-associated virus (AAV) that can be initiated (“switched on”) on demand via an easy-to-use eye drop.

The collaboration aims to validate the “SwitchGene” technology in clinically relevant animal models of diabetic retinopathy and related retinal neovascularization.

CERA Managing Director Professor Keith Martin said “the partnership with Oculus BioMed would accelerate the pace of research by CERA’s Genetic Engineering team, led by Associate Professor Rick Liu, to develop ‘next generation’ gene therapies that deliver tailored treatments to people living with eye disease”.

“This new collaboration will enable us to further refine our technology in the lab and move closer toward our goal of taking the therapy to clinical trial.’’

OBM CEO Andrew Coloretti said “We are extremely excited to enter into this collaboration developing a safe and targeted approach for eye gene therapy.” This is a world leading initiative and compliments our existing diversified ophthalmic portfolio” said.

Both parties will jointly fund the project with a steering committee of equal representation established to oversee the research, risk management and intellectual property development and protection.

 Michelle, is an award-winning medical technology and digital health entrepreneur with a focus in applying artificial intelligence and big data in the development of novel software for the clinical trials industry. With more than 25 years of experience in biotechnology and MedTech, Michelle has led and founded a number of private and publicly listed companies.

As the previous CEO of the ASX-listed biotechnology industry association in Victoria, Australia, Michelle also has extensive experience in government affairs at an international, national and state level.

Professor Robyn Guymer AM is a Deputy Director of Centre Eye Research Australia (CERA), the Head of Macular Research at CERA, and Professor of Ophthalmology at Melbourne University. She is also a senior retinal specialist at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital and is a clinician scientist who leads a team of researchers primarily investigating age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Robyn has investigated genetic and environmental risk factors for AMD, predictors of response to treatments for late AMD, as well as being a principal investigator in many industry sponsored trials. She is on several pharmaceutical advisory boards and is part of the Mactel consortium, the Beckman/Ryan AMD initiative (USA) and the International Classification of Atrophy (CAM) group.

She is currently investigating new strategies for treating early stages of AMD and is working to identify novel imaging and functional biomarkers and surrogate endpoints to improve the feasibility of conducting early intervention trials. She is a member of the Macular Society and an inaugural fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.

Professor Guymer was named a Member in the General Division (AM) in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours List, recognised for her significant service to medicine in the field of ophthalmology, particularly age-related macular degeneration as a clinician, academic and researcher. She was also awarded the NHMRC’s 2016 Elizabeth Blackburn Fellowship for the top ranked female research fellowship in clinical medicine.