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UNITY BIOTECHNOLOGY UNITY Biotechnology Announces Positive Data from Phase 1 Clinical Trial of UBX1325 in Patients with Advanced Vascular Eye Disease July 6 , 2021 Improvement in Visual Acuity and Central Subfield Thickness observed in diabetic macular edema ( DME ) and wet age - related macular degeneration ( wet AMD ) patients treated with UBX1325 UBX1325 advances to Phase 2a study in DME patients as a potential alternative to anti - VEGF therapies UNITY to host conference call today at 8:00 a.m. ET SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO , Calif , July 06 , 2021 ( GLOBE NEWSWIRE ) -- UNITY Biotechnology , Inc. ( " UNITY " ) [ NASDAQ : UBX ] , a biotechnology company developing therapeutics to slow , halt , or reverse diseases of aging , today announced positive data from its Phase 1 safety study of UBX1325 in patients with advanced disease from DME or wet AMD for whom anti - VEGF therapy was no longer considered beneficial . UBX1325 , a small molecule inhibitor of Bcl - xL and the first senolytic therapeutic evaluated in an ophthalmological clinical study , was well - tolerated with no treatment- related adverse events or dose - limiting toxicities . Additionally , the majority of DME and wet AMD patients treated with a single injection of UBX1325 demonstrated rapid improvements in best - corrected visual acuity ( BCVA ) , central subfield thickness ( CST ) , and sub- and intra - retinal fluid ( SRF , IRF ) , all key clinical measures of disease progression . The first patient has been dosed in a Phase 2a clinical study to assess the safety and efficacy of UBX1325 in a broader population of patients with DME , and data is expected in the first half of 2022. In addition , UNITY is enrolling additional patients with advanced wet AMD in the Phase 1 study to gather additional data to support a Phase 2a study in wet AMD . These studies are expected to generate data to inform the efficacy of UBX1325 in a wider range of patient populations , including those who are refractory to anti - VEGF treatment . " We are very excited by the initial efficacy we see with UBX1325 , including improvements in vision and structure in advanced patients , which suggest that UBX1325 may benefit a wide range of patients suffering from DME or wet AMD , " said Anirvan Ghosh , Ph.D. , chief executive officer of UNITY . " UBX1325 targets an entirely novel mechanism to eliminate senescent cells in the retinal and choroidal vasculature , a potential root cause of disease progression , and could provide a valuable alternative or adjunctive treatment option to anti - VEGF therapies . We look forward to several important data readouts in the coming year that will further inform the optimal treatment regimen for UBX1325 in patients with DME and wet AMD . " " The imaging data demonstrating structural improvements in the retina are compelling at this stage of clinical development and represent defined endpoints for disease improvement , " said Jeffrey Heier , M.D. , Director of the Vitreoretinal Service and Retina Research at Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston . " Importantly , UBX1325 is an entirely new treatment modality for eye disease and is particularly exciting for this patient population for whom new therapeutic options could provide significant additional benefits alone or in combination with anti - VEGF agents . " The Phase 1 , first - in - human , open - label , single - ascending dose study included 12 patients with advanced DME or wet AMD who were no longer expected to benefit from anti - VEGF therapies . UBX1325 was well tolerated in this patient population and demonstrated a favorable acute safety profile supporting further clinical development . There were no dose - limiting toxicities observed , with two nonserious , nondrug - related adverse events reported . In addition , patients treated with UBX1325 had improvements in vision and retinal structure as summarized below . Treatment of patients with UBX1325 resulted in the following clinical changes as of June 30 , 2021 : Gain in ETDRS Letters from Baseline in Best - Corrected Visual Acuity ( BCVA ) • Overall ( across all doses ) : 10 of 12 patients showed a gain in ETDRS letters from baseline in BCVA at 2 weeks ; 9 of 12 patients showed a gain at 4 weeks • In high dose groups ( 5 , 10 mcg ) : 6 of 6 patients showed a gain in ETDRS letters from baseline in BCVA at 2 weeks ; 5 of 6 patients showed a gain at 4 weeks Decrease in Central Subfield Thickness ( CST ) • Overall ( across all doses ) : 6 of 12 patients had a decrease ( improvement ) in CST at 2 weeks ; 5 of 12 patients showed reductions at 4 weeks • In high dose groups ( 5 , 10 mcg ) : 4 of 6 patients showed decrease in CST at 2 weeks ; 3 of 6 patients showed reductions at 4 weeks Reduction in Subretinal / Intraretinal Fluid • 3 of 4 patients with wet AMD had a reduction in subretinal / intraretinal fluid ( SRF / IRF ) , and improvement in disease- relevant pathology