GC Biopharma has signed an agreement with Novelty Nobility, a biotech company specializing in the development of antibody-based therapeutics, for the joint research and development of a novel treatment for geographic atrophy (GA).

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), one of the leading causes of blindness in the elderly, is divided into two types: dry and wet. Often occurring in the late stages of AMD progression, GA is an advanced form of dry AMD that causes damage to retinal tissue, eventually leading to blindness. In the US alone, approximately 1.5 million people are affected by this condition.

Last year, the first treatment for GA was approved by the FDA in the US. However, the drug demonstrated limited efficacy by slowing the progression of GA without restoring previously deteriorated vision.

Furthermore, a significant number of patients reported side effects such as the development of wet AMD or inflammation following drug administration. Thus, a significant unmet need for therapeutic approaches with improved efficacy and safety remains for GA patients.

Under the terms of the agreement, GC Biopharma and Novelty Nobility established a partnership to jointly research and develop antibody-based protein therapeutics for GA throughout all stages of the drug development lifecycle.

As the first step of the collaboration, the two companies plan to strategically select novel proteins determined to play critical pathological roles in GA and identify therapeutic candidates accordingly.

"Novelty Nobility has been developing a next-generation treatment for wet AMD using a proprietary antibody for the past several years. We aim to leverage our in-house antibody drug development expertise in retinal disease to further expand into the GA treatment space. This collaboration with GC Biopharma will enable us to advance our research and potentially result in an innovative treatment that can be transformative for patients with GA," said Sang-gyu Park, Chief Executive Officer of Novelty Nobility.

"We expect that this collaboration will generate synergy by combining Novelty Nobility's experience in developing antibody-based treatments for retinal diseases with our expertise in protein therapeutics. Through open innovation, we aim to actively expand our development efforts beyond our core areas of plasma derivatives and rare diseases to other therapeutic fields as well," said Jaewook Jung, Head of Research and Development at GC Biopharma.