BioAge Labs announces expansion of its BGE-102 development program

BioAge Labs (BIOA) announced expansion of its BGE-102 development program into ophthalmology, with an initial proof-of-concept, POC, study in patients with diabetic macular edema, DME. BGE-102 is a potent, structurally novel, orally administered small molecule NLRP3 inhibitor with potential for therapeutic retinal exposure. In a preclinical model of DME, oral BGE-102 demonstrated dose-dependent preservation of retinal vascular integrity, achieving near-complete protection from vascular leakage and up to 90% preservation of microvascular integrity. In retinal diseases more broadly, published studies have shown that deletion or inhibition of NLRP3 provides complete protection of the retinal pigment epithelium against pro-inflammatory challenges. And in preclinical studies performed by BioAge in a natural model of aging, NLRP3 inhibition reduced age-related accumulation of lipofuscin – a toxic aggregate linked to pathogenesis of retinal diseases including geographic atrophy – by approximately 80%.