The future is looking much brighter for those with diabetes following this week's announcement that Aspecthera Pty Ltd, a new spinout from the University of Tasmania research commercialisation function, InVent (Innovation Ventures), has been awarded $500k of federal funding to advance a novel treatment for diabetic retinopathy (blindness). The announcement has been featured on WIN NEWS, 7NEWS, and ABC Radio across Australia.
Funded under the Diabetes and Cardiovascular stream of the Federal Government’s Targeted Translation Research Accelerator (TTRA), Aspecthera aims to deliver a world-first, non-invasive and cost-effective treatment for early-stage diabetic retinopathy (DR). Unlike current therapies that are limited to advanced stages of the disease - often when vision loss is already permanent - this new approach focuses on early intervention.
The multi-disciplinary project is being jointly led by Professor Jason Smith from the Discipline of Chemistry, Associate Professor Nuri Guven from the School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, and Dr Philip Young from InVent. Associate Professor Guven said the breakthrough could lead to a critical shift in how diabetic retinopathy can be managed.
“Right now, more than 150 million people worldwide live with diabetic retinopathy. It affects approximately 30% of adults with diabetes,” said Associate Professor Guven. “Current treatment is incredibly invasive - it typically involves injections directly into the eye every few weeks. It requires regular access to ophthalmologists to perform the procedure, it’s only available for patients in the final stages of disease, and it’s expensive. Our research is focused on changing that trajectory.”
The project will develop a regulatory-compliant eye-drop formulation designed to protect the blood vessels in the eye against inflammation and leakage - key contributors to vision deterioration in diabetic patients. Formal pre-clinical studies will be undertaken to pave the way for clinical trials and, ultimately, patient use.
“By intervening early with a simple, non-invasive treatment, we aim to preserve vision, improve patient quality of life, and reduce the long-term burden on healthcare systems globally,” Associate Professor Guven added.
Chair of InVent’s independent Board, Rhys Edwards, congratulated the Aspecthera team on their breakthrough.
“This is a fantastic example of the kind of high-impact, translational research that the University of Tasmania is championing,” said Mr Edwards. “The potential to improve outcomes for millions of people living with diabetes is profound.”