SAN DIEGO, Oct. 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amydis Inc., a privately held clinical-stage company pioneering a platform of ocular tracers that enable imaging of disease-related molecular biomarkers in the eye, announced today that Dr. Tatyana Milman, Professor of Ophthalmology and Pathology at Wills Eye Hospital, will be presenting data on the Company’s novel ocular tracer designed to detect transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) at the American Association of Ophthalmic Oncologists and Pathologists (AAOOP) on October 18, 2024.
ATTR is a progressive and often fatal disease caused by the abnormal buildup of misfolded transthyretin (TTR) protein in organs and tissues. While heterogeneous in presentation, the most common clinical entities result from amyloid deposition in heart (ATTR cardiomyopathy, or “ATTR-CM”) and peripheral nerves (familial amyloid polyneuropathy, or “FAP”). It is increasingly appreciated that ATTR-CM is a greatly underdiagnosed disease that accounts for a significant percentage of heart failure cases, particularly in elderly males. Similarly, a form of ATTR-CM caused by a V122I substitution in TTR, present in 3-4% of African Americans, is also thought to be greatly underdiagnosed and contributes to a significant degree of heart failure in this population. Diagnostic shortfalls in ATTR-CM, as well as FAP and other manifestations of ATTR, have limited the impact of FDA approved disease-modifying therapies for ATTR that can stabilize, or in some cases improve, disease and improve quality of life for people battling systemic amyloidosis as well as reduce health care costs associated with end stage organ failure. Amydis is committed to addressing this shortfall in ATTR diagnosis by targeting TTR amyloid with its novel ocular tracers.
Amydis is leveraging its first-in-class ocular tracer to develop a novel topical eye test to detect ATTR. The Amydis ocular tracer is designed to bind TTR amyloid and hyper-fluoresce at wavelengths compatible with existing ophthalmic cameras as part of annual eye examination visits. Drs. Tatyana Milman and Jose Pulido at Wills Eye Hospital and UCSD researchers, published a peer-reviewed manuscript illustrating that the Amydis ocular tracer labels conjunctival deposits of TTR in human ATTR cadaver specimens and enable detection of conjunctival TTR deposits with a commercial ocular imaging system in an ATTR model system.
Amydis’ Science Advisory Board Member, Dr. Jose Pulido, along with roles at Wills Eye, Thomas Jefferson University and the Henry and Corrine Bower Memorial Laboratories for Translational Medicine shared, “I investigate the ocular manifestations of systemic amyloidosis in patients, and have a clear understanding of the dire need for better non-invasive diagnostics for systemic amyloidosis disorders. It is my belief that the Amydis tracer will improve patient outcomes by identifying amyloidosis at earlier stages and helping to personalize treatment plans.”
“Developing a simple topical eye test to detect ATTR can potentially transform early diagnosis of ATTR and enable more people to benefit from available treatments,” stated Stella Sarraf, PhD, CEO and Founder of Amydis.
About Amydis
Amydis is leading the way for early detection of diseases through the eye that is accessible, affordable and non-invasive. The company is developing proprietary ocular tracers that enable identification of molecular biomarkers for diseases of the eye, heart and brain. Amydis is creating a data warehouse for multi-omics that includes unique molecular biomarkers of the eye to empower AI-enabled health insights. The Company’s digital health solutions leverage the eye as the “window to the body” to accelerate diagnoses, enable precision treatment and improve patient outcomes.
For more information contact: info@amydis.com
