Topical delivery of Ranibizumab for non-invasive treatment of retinal disease (360G-Wellcome-106942_Z_15_Z)

Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (anti-VEGF) agents have revolutionisedthe management of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Ranibizumab (Lucentis) is NICE-approved and the most common anti-VEGF therapy; however, its administration is very expensive, requiring repeated monthly and long-termhospital-based administration (NHS estimate £85million/year). Intravitreal injections have significant risks of blinding complications including endophthalmitis, retinal detachment, cataract and uveitis, and are unappealingto patients. There is thus a strong and growing unmet need for Lucentis treatments to be non-invasive, easy to administer and less expensive. The UCL Drug Delivery System (UDDS) is a novel ocular nanoparticle drug delivery system developed in the Cordeiro laboratory, which has already been used to successfully deliver topically several molecules to the back of the rabbit eye, including bevacizumab (Avastin). The aim of this project is to develop a UDDS-Lucentis formulation for patientsto replace monthly hospital- administered intraocular Lucentis injections with