Looking for new treatments: Meditech and LEI team up

Meditech Research and the Lion's Eye Institute (LEI) have signed a licence agreement allowing LEI to use patents owned by Meditech in developing products for the prevention and treatment of eye diseases.

"Meditech has a series of patents and the Lion's Eye Institute needed to access those patents to continue research into sub-retinal neovascularisation (SRNV)," said Meditech's CEO Chris Carter.

The patents relate to the use of hyaluronic acid (HA) as a means to carry DNA into cells, explained Dr Tracey Brown, Director of Scientific Operations at Meditech.

The agreement provides LEI with exclusive worldwide rights to use HA for any ocular gene therapy treatments they might develop.

Meditech has previously funded research at LEI for the use of HA in gene therapy to treat blindness due to SRNV. SRNV affects approximately 11 million people in developed countries and occurs primarily as a result of other diseases like diabetic retinopathy.

"LEI are leaders in the field of SRNV," said Carter.

Further commercialisation of the technology would probably involve partnership with a third party, according to LEI. The agreement provides for LEI to sublicence the patents.

Meditech and LEI will share any benefits arising from the agreement.