A new rose bengal-based, noninvasive investigational treatment for infectious keratitis and other eye infections is the focus of VisiRose, a newly-launched clinical-stage biotechnology company.
Where to begin …
We’ll start with VisiRose.
The biotech company is a jointly-founded company by Knoxville, Tennessee-based Provectus Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. and the University of Miami.
- Its purpose is centered around one main goal: Commercializing rose bengal photodynamic antimicrobial therapy (RB-PDAT) for the treatment of eye infections such as infectious keratitis.
Key to this commercialization: The utilization of Provectus’s lead molecule: rose bengal sodium (RBS).
Explain RBS.
This is a bioactive synthetic small molecule and active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) that is part of a class of Provectus-developed small molecules called halogenated xanthenes.
- Check out its drug platform pipeline.
The potential for RBS: Its antibacterial effect in killing drug-resistant bacterial strains extends to an array of indications in disease areas—including ophthalmology.
- See recent clinical data supporting the use of RBS.
Now RB-PDAT.
RB-PDAT is a noninvasive investigational treatment based on ocular research stemming from the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute’s Ophthalmic Biophysics Center (OBC) at the University of Miami’s School of Medicine.
What it is, exactly: A formulation of two key components:
- RBS API
- OBC’s light-based medical device
- Designed to treat eye infections caused by bacteria, fungi, and parasites (such as multidrug-resistant organisms)
Explain how it works.
This therapy is intended to be safe, effective, durable, noninvasive, accessible, and affordable to treat “broad-spectrum eye infections, address multidrug resistant pathogens, achieve timely complete resolution, and avoid surgical intervention.”
See below for a visual.
What’s the clinical data on it so far?
RB-PDAT was previously clinically investigated as an adjunct treatment for severe, progressive infectious keratitis in a 2020 clinical study published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology.
About this study: Conducted at Bascom Palmer over the course of 26 months, study authors found that one to three sessions of RB-PDAT (when used in conjunction with medical therapy) “eliminated infection and prevented the need for TPK (therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty) in 72% of individuals with severe corneal ulcers.”
- Even further: These findings were notably supported by data that showed RB-PDAT was “more effective against microbes than CXL with riboflavin and (ultraviolet)-A light.”
Other supporting research can be found here and here.
Nice! Now in regards to VisiRose: What’s the potential for this therapy?
VisiRose’s acting CEO Dominic Rodigues noted that RB-PDAT represents a “consequential solution for patients at risk of vision loss from infectious keratitis.
How: By combining “precise infection-fighting capabilities with vision-preserving benefits, paving the way for a brighter future for those struggling with this challenging condition,” Rodrigues stated.