Inflammasome Therapeutics announced that the first patient has been dosed in a first-in-class clinical trial for geographic atrophy due to age-related macular degeneration. The phase 1 trial is expected to enroll up to 5 patients. Trial participants will receive a sustained release of the drug kamuvudine-8 (K8), which was specifically designed for retinal delivery, as were the implants and injector system used to deliver the drug. K8 is 1 of a series of kamuvudines, which are molecules, identified and licensed by Inflammasome Therapeutics, that inhibit inflammasome activation in cell culture and animal models. 

“Our kamuvudines have been shown in preclinical studies to block inflammasome activation caused by multiple toxic pathways — complement, amyloid beta, iron overload, and retrotransposons, among others. If we can block inflammasome activation in the clinic, we believe we can have a profound effect on the disease by blocking multiple pathways,” Paul Ashton, PhD, president and CEO of Inflammasome Therapeutics, said in a news release.