Lerdelimumab.: Prevention of corneal scarring.

Glaucoma is a sight-threatening ocular condition that involves damage to the optic nerve, mostly due to increased pressure of intraocular fluid. If drug therapy fails to control intraocular pressure (IOP), surgical or laser procedures such as trabeculectomy can be used to improve drainage and thereby lower IOP. However, postoperative scarring can occur as a result of excessive production of transforming growth factor-P (TGF-beta) at the wound site. Anti proliferative drugs are widely used to prevent scarring, but they also cause cell death and apoptosis, which may lead to blindness. As TGF-beta(2) is the major isoform in the eye, inhibiting its production or activity was proposed as an alternative for reducing postoperative ocular scarring. With this in mind, an engineered recombinant human monoclonal antibody targeting TGF-beta(2) - lerdelimumab - was prepared as a potential approach to preventing postoperative scarring in patients undergoing trabeculectomy.