Our Science: Retinal Health
Our eyes give us approximately 80 percent of the information about what happens around us. There is a high and, as yet unmet, medical need for more effective and safe treatments for those with vision-related disease. Our ambition is to prevent vision loss in people at risk of, and preserve or restore vision in those already with, retinal diseases.
Boehringer Ingelheim’s research area of retinal health builds on a history of research in retinopathies as a complication of diabetes. Building on this experience and applying knowledge and insights from our other research areas means we have the ability to tackle the multifactorial pathophysiology of retinal diseases and achieve our ambition of transforming the retinal health landscape.
räfe-Mody, Global Head Retinal Health, Boehringer Ingelheim
“We first saw the potential to help people with eye diseases as a complication of diabetes. It started with research in diabetic macular edema and diabetic retinopathies. And then we identified new mechanisms and molecules with broader application beyond diabetic eye diseases.”
A Holistic Research Approach
Our research takes a holistic approach, targeting key mechanisms in the pathogenesis of retinal diseases – vascular dysfunction, neuronal dysfunction and inflammation. We are pursuing both oral and intravitreal treatments as part of an innovative pre-clinical and clinical portfolio grounded in these mechanisms. We are also exploring opportunities in gene therapy to help us deliver therapeutic advances in our core indications:
- Geographic atrophy
- Wet age-related macular degeneration
- Diabetic macular ischemia
- Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy
- Stargardt disease.
Collaboration is Key
The work of our own team of dedicated scientists is complemented by collaborations with academic and advocacy organizations, alongside partnerships with biotechs. We believe that by working together we can learn more, do more and achieve more to accelerate the delivery of much-needed new treatments to patients.
