Eleven Biotherapeutics Publishes Data on EBI-005, a Novel IL-1 Inhibitor Protein for Topical Treatment of Dry Eye Disease

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Eleven Biotherapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company creating novel and differentiated protein-based biotherapeutics, has published preclinical data in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) showing beneficial effects of EBI-005, the first rationally-designed topically administered IL-1 protein for the treatment of ocular diseases. In the paper entitled “Design of a superior cytokine antagonist for topical ophthalmic use,” the scientists, including drug developers from Eleven Biotherapeutics and collaborators from Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Stanford University School of Medicine, describe how EBI-005 was designed to specifically bind more tightly to its target than IL-1Ra providing a dramatic increase in potency in vivo. EBI-005 was also shown to have substantially greater stability, potentially providing the convenience of room temperature storage.