Peptide for AMD enters the clinic

Potentia Pharmaceuticals has announced that it is entering the clinical phase of development for POT-4, its lead drug candidate for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

POT-4 is a synthetic peptide that binds tightly to complement component C3, preventing its participation in the complement activation cascade. As C3 is a central component of the major complement activation pathways, its inhibition effectively shuts down all downstream complement activation that could otherwise lead to inflammation, tissue damage and upregulation of angiogenic factors such as VEGF.