Preclinical examine suggests synaptic regeneration might provide new pathway to deal with glaucoma | Ophthalmology Instances

A brand new examine printed in Experimental Eye Research reported that the preclinical outcomes achieved with SPG302 (Spinogenix, Inc.) “provide initial proof of concept that synaptic regeneration may offer a new approach to treating neurodegenerative diseases of the retina,” in keeping with a press launch issued by the corporate.

In this murine mannequin of glaucoma, SPG302 was administered day by day to 3-month-old mice for 8 weeks. Before therapy started, elevated intraocular strain was induced within the mice by microbead injection.

According to the press launch, “SPG302 administration significantly improved retinal ganglion cell (RGC) survival and axonal integrity while preserving visual function as assessed by electroretinography, a clinically translatable measure of retinal function. This protective effect was linked to the preservation of retinal synapses as indicated by the normalized expression of synaptic markers.”

Glaucoma is an optic neuropathy that, in keeping with the press launch, ends in lack of RGCs, the principal output neurons of the retina that give rise to axons of the optic nerve, and early and progressive lack of glutamatergic synapses on RGCs that’s thought to disrupt their perform and contribute to glaucomatous degeneration.

SPG302 might show to be one other potential therapy, contemplating that glaucoma presently is addressed by focusing on the intraocular strain elevations. “Observations that dendritic and synaptic deficits in RGCs are among the earliest indicators of glaucomatous damage during increased IOP and in other contexts raise the prospect that synaptic regeneration may offer a new and broadly relevant therapeutic approach,” in keeping with the press launch.

Regarding SPG302, the corporate additionally identified that the synaptic regenerative exercise of SPG302 represents a first-in-class strategy to treating these ailments and has the potential to reverse declines in cognitive, respiratory, and motor perform. SPG302, an investigational therapeutic, is being evaluated in medical trials in 3 illness indications: Alzheimer’s illness in a section 2 medical trial (NCT06427668), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in a section 1 medical trial (NCT05882695), and schizophrenia in a section 2 medical trial (NCT06442462). In these research, SPG302 is run as a once-a-day capsule.

In commenting on the outcomes of the preclinical examine, Stella Sarraf, PhD, MD, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Spinogenix, stated, “The study results help validate the idea that retinal synapse loss is a critical step in glaucoma pathogenesis, and they provide a foundation for positioning SPG302 in glaucoma and potentially other synaptopathies of the retina. We are looking forward to using these findings to advance to a clinical program and bring a new treatment modality to the millions suffering from glaucoma.”

Robert N. Weinreb, MD, an investigator of the examine on the University of California, San Diego, and a member of Spinogenix’s scientific advisory board, acknowledged, “Research on glaucoma has been increasingly focused on identifying novel therapeutic strategies for protecting the optic nerve. The results obtained with SPG302 are encouraging, as they suggest that protection of retinal ganglion cells can be achieved by reversing synapse loss with a rapid-acting, clinical-stage compound. I am hopeful that SPG302 will provide a neuroprotective option in glaucoma and potentially other diseases of the retina.”

Based on the examine outcomes, the corporate is hopeful that glaucoma and imaginative and prescient loss may very well be slowed down and prevented by reversing synapse loss and can result in a medical improvement program.

Reference

1. Bastola T, Choi S, Shen Z, et al. SPG302 protects retinal ganglion cells and preserves visible perform by preserving synaptic exercise in a mouse mannequin of glaucoma. Exp Eye Res. 2025;261:110640;