08 July 2025 | Tuesday | News
PulseSight Therapeutics SAS, an ophthalmology biotech company developing disruptive non-viral vectorized therapies with minimally-invasive delivery technology, is pleased to announce that the first patient has been successfully dosed in its Phase I clinical trial (PST-611-CT1) aiming to assess safety and tolerability of its lead program, PST-611, in humans.
PST-611 is a first-in-class non-viral vectorized therapy for the treatment of dry Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) /Geographic Atrophy (GA), expressing human transferrin, a highly potent iron regulator, playing a central role in restoring normal iron homeostasis.
AMD is the leading cause of central vision loss in the elderly, affecting 200 million people worldwide. AMD's pathogenesis is complex, and the disease still represents a high unmet medical need. Dry AMD involves the dysregulation of iron homeostasis, leading to an excess of free iron causing highly toxic effects such as inflammation, oxidative stress, and ultimately retinal cell death (ferroptosis).
PST-611-CT1 is a first-in-human single ascending dose study that aims to establish, in six to a maximum of 12 dry AMD/GA patients, the safety profile of the drug and validate the maximal tolerated dose in view of the following Phase IIa proof-of-concept trial. Preliminary results are anticipated early 2026, subject to patient recruitment.
The study is being conducted in Paris and Grenoble by Professor Francine Behar-Cohen, MD, PhD at the Department of Ophthalmology, Cochin – Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), the inventor of our technology, and Professor Christophe Chiquet, MD, PhD at the Department of Ophthalmology, CHU Grenoble Alpes.
Professor Francine Behar-Cohen declared, “Having pioneered the development of the electro-transfection technology that delivers DNA plasmids encoding therapeutic proteins into the ciliary muscle of the eye, I am very excited to move PST-611, expressing transferrin, into its first clinical trial. Late-stage dry AMD/ GA is a progressing disease that leads to vision loss and for which we have no therapeutic options for our patients. Based on its mechanism of action and thanks to the innovative delivery technology, PST-611 has potential to become a major treatment option for these patients.”
Judith Greciet, CEO of PulseSight Therapeutics said, “The dosing of the first patient in our PST-611-CT1 trial is a very exciting milestone for the company. Supported by the previous clinical demonstration of the safety profile of our innovative delivery technology and a solid pre-clinical package, we believe PST-611 holds the potential to improve both anatomical and functional features of dry AMD/GA. Moreover, the sustained and long-lasting expression of transferrin should help reduce the need for frequent reinjections, strongly improving patients’ compliance to the treatment. Once the safety and the maximal dose are confirmed, our goal is to swiftly m
© 2025 Biopharma Boardroom. All Rights Reserved.