CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aerpio Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies for vascular diseases by targeting the Tie2 pathway, today announced that it has dosed the first patient in a Phase 1b/2a trial of AKB-9778 for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME). AKB-9778 is a first-in-class human protein tyrosine phosphatase beta (HPTPß) inhibitor that works to activate Tie2, a receptor on vascular endothelial cells which promotes vascular stability, preventing abnormal blood vessel growth and vascular leak.
