Ischemic retinopathy refers to a group of ocular disorders characterized by insufficient retinal blood flow, leading to hypoxia and subsequent retinal tissue damage. In the hypoxic environment, hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) activates the transcription of pro-angiogenic factors that promote pathological retinal neovascularization, which ultimately contributes to edema, retinal damage and vision loss.

Stroke is the third leading cause of disability worldwide, and its incidence is expected to increase as the global population ages. Idebenone can promote recovery after stroke, but it is less effective during the acute phase of stroke.

Gate Bioscience Inc. has entered a collaboration and license agreement with Eli Lilly and Co. to discover, develop and commercialize molecular gate therapeutics. The collaboration will leverage Gate’s molecular gate drug discovery engine to identify molecular gates capable of eliminating specific difficult-to-drug proteins.

Congruence Therapeutics Inc. has received a research grant of $5 million from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) to advance its GCase-targeting small molecules for GBA1 Parkinson’s disease. Mutations of the GBA1 gene, encoding the enzyme GCase, represent the single largest genetic risk factor for Parkinson’s disease.

Matchpoint Therapeutics Inc. and Novartis AG have entered into an exclusive option and license agreement to develop and commercialize oral covalent inhibitors targeting a transcription factor linked to a number of inflammatory diseases. Matchpoint’s approach leverages the properties of covalent chemistry and a proprietary platform to target a novel binding site on a historically hard-to-drug protein.