Neurotech USA is located in Lincoln, Rhode Island and is engaged in the development of encapsulated cell therapies (ECT) for retinal diseases (e.g., age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and retinitis pigmentosa).The company has licensed several patents from Brown University to develop treatments for these diseases. Neurotech’s mission is to target these diseases where few effective therapies exist and to become a world leading drug delivery company for the treatment of the back of the eye.

The presence of the blood-retina barrier limits delivery of orally or systemically applied molecules, including proteins, into the eye. Medicaments can be injected directly into the eye, but this is an impractical approach if regular administration is required. Although many protein molecules have demonstrated therapeutic activity in animal models of eye disease, they have not been developed for use in man because of the absence of an acceptable means of sustained delivery.

Neurotech has developed an ECT device specifically designed for intraocular implantation. Cells genetically engineered to secrete therapeutic factors contained in an immunoisolatory capsule are responsible for controlled, continuous, long-term delivery of these substances directly into the inner eye, including a wide variety of novel proteins. ECT allows for the continuous local production and release of therapeutic molecules from living cells following a single administration, thus avoiding the need for repeated administration of exogenous agents. Potentially curative therapeutic agents can be delivered in a slow and sustained manner to the posterior portion of the eye where they are needed.

Additional information is available at http://www.neurotechusa.com/.

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