Tivanisiran may be new drug for dry eye syndrome

Tivanisiran is a product under development for the treatment of signs and symptoms related to dry eye syndrome and has the potential to be developed for other pathologies that cause ocular pain like corneal lesions, refractive surgery, etc

Dry eye is a chronic condition that causes burning, itching, or stinging sensations in the eye, as well as impaired vision.

Tivanisiran is a drug based on RNAi that is administered as preservative-free eye drops.It selectively inhibits production of the transient receptor potential cation channel (TRPV1). These receptors are ion channels that mediate the transmission of ocular pain.

Tivanisiran is a small synthetic double-stranded RNA oligonucleotide (siRNA) with a novel and highly selective mechanism of action. Non-clinical studies conducted by Sylentis with SYL1001 have demonstrated it has high ability to inhibit this specific target and block the perception of ocular pain in animals.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a natural cellular process that regulates the expression of certain genes, providing a role in innate defense and development in animal and plants. This process is used to specifically silence genetic transcripts that encode protein-causing diseases.

Sylentis, Pharmaceutical Company belonging to the PharmaMar Group is a pioneer in RNAi research, and is one of the few in Europe that applies this technology to the field of ophthalmology, presented its report in the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) held in Honolulu, Hawaii. Sylentis presented the pre-clinical and clinical results of various compounds that are being developed for the treatment of ocular disorders.

"We trust in our technology, innovative in this field, and we hope that tivanisiran will soon become a real alternative for the treatment of millions of people that suffer dry eye disease around the world,"said Ana Isabel Jiménez, Director of R&D at Sylentis.