A French biotech company has received “highly promising preclinical efficacy results” for an ophthalmic gel to treat retinal cell necrosis in geographic atrophy (GA).
SeaBeLife said the non-invasive topical treatment, SBL03, has a “unique ability to infiltrate eye tissues effectively and protect [the] retina from degeneration… offering unprecedented hope” to the millions of people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
“These data can be regarded as a major step forward on a high-stakes journey to provide a solution for the millions of patients faced with irreversible sight loss,” the company said in a news release.1
The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of the SBL03 drug candidate in an in vivo preclinical model of induced retinal degeneration.
SBL03 is a dual inhibitor of regulated necrotic cell death. It is delivered in the form of eyedrops. SeaBeLife said the solution would prevent patients from experiencing sight loss associated with retinal degeneration, by directly targeting the cells affected by the disease, whatever its origin.
The efficacy of the gel was evaluated using a preclinical animal model reproducing the key clinical characteristics of GA seen in patients.
After retinal degeneration was induced, the preclinical models were treated with repeated topical instillations of SBL03 over several days. The therapeutic effects were evaluated using functional and structural analysis in vivo (electroretinography, optical coherence tomography, and fundus autofluorescence.
Analysis found that the SBL03-treated eyes show significant protection of the structural and functional integrity of the retina, and that the drug has a protective effect against retinal degeneration.
New Treatment Opportunities
“The preclinical results achieved with SBL03 are highly promising and open up new opportunities in the treatment of degenerative retinal disorders. The combination of targeted action and topical delivery makes it a particularly promising solution for preserving patients’ sight and therefore their quality of life,” said Prof Jean-François Korobelnik, Professor of Ophthalmology at the Bordeaux University Hospital, France.
“Compared with current treatments, available only in the US,* including intravitreal injections, the topical method of delivery used for SBL03 could considerably improve patient comfort and adherence for this chronic disorder, which requires life-long treatment,” said SeaBeLife CEO and co-founder Dr Morgane Rousselot.
“With the series A funding round that we’re preparing for at the moment, we will be able to continue the development of SBL03 in treating this disorder which affects millions of people worldwide.”
Regulatory preclinical studies are expected to start this year, with the aim of conducting an initial clinical trial in humans in 2026.
*Syfovre (pegcetacoplan, Apellis), delivered by intravitreal injection, is the first and only approved treatment for GA. It is available in the United States and was approved for use in Australia on 27 January 2025.
Reference
- SeaBeLife, Dry AMD: SeaBeLife achieves highly promising preclinical efficacy results for SBL03, without injections into eye (media release, 29 Jan 2025) available at: seabelife.com/en/dry-amd-seabelife-achieves-highly-promising-preclinical-efficacy-results-for-sbl03-without-injections-into-eye. [accessed Feb 2025].
