Breakthrough study demonstrates replenishment of essential VLC-PUFAs through a single intravitreal injection rejuvenates retinal structure and function in a naturally aged animal model.
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — September 24, 2025 — Lucina Biotherapeutics, a biotechnology company pioneering therapies that restore critical lipids lost with age and disease, today announced that its foundational research has been published in Science Translational Medicine. The study, led by Lucina’s scientific co-founder Dr. Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk, establishes a direct link between age-related lipid decline in the retina and vision loss, while demonstrating that targeted replenishment of these lipids can restore retinal structure and function.
The publication highlights several key findings:
- Age-related lipid decline: Loss of very
long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFAs) in the retina is
strongly associated with decline in retinal function. These essential
membrane lipids are critical to the normal homeostasis of photoreceptors,
retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and their respective mitochondria
- Mechanistic target: Genetic and molecular data confirm that reduced activity of ELOVL2, a critical enzyme in the lipid elongation pathway, accelerates retinal aging and vision loss
“This linchpin publication is a
convergence of independent data from multiple laboratories that validates our
therapeutic hypothesis that replenishing lost lipids can restore function in
aged retinal cells,” said Christopher Chavez, PhD, Co-Founder and Chief
Executive Officer of Lucina Biotherapeutics. “With dry AMD representing a
$40 billion global market opportunity, Lucina is uniquely positioned to deliver
the first disease-modifying therapy in an indication with enormous market
potential.” “As a retina specialist, I see the urgent
need for therapies that restore vision in dry AMD. Lucina’s research offers new
hope by showing that targeted lipid replenishment can rejuvenate aging retinal
tissue”, said Theodore Leng, MD, MS, FACS, Director of Clinical &
Translational Research, Stanford Byers Eye Institute. “This breakthrough has
the potential to change outcomes for millions of patients.” Next Steps Toward the Clinic Lucina is advancing LUC-101,
its proprietary intravitreal formulation of C24:5n-3, through IND-enabling
development. About Dry AMD Dry AMD affects over 15 million
people in the United States and more than 200 million globally. Current
FDA-approved treatments, such as Syfovre™ and Izervay™, only slow lesion growth
in late-stage disease (geographic atrophy) and do not markedly improve vision.
Lucina’s approach targets the earlier stages of AMD by addressing a root
biochemical deficit, with the goal of restoring vision and modifying disease
progression. About Lucina Biotherapeutics Lucina Biotherapeutics is a
biotechnology company developing first-in-class therapeutics to combat
aging-related diseases by restoring critical lipids that decline over time. The
company’s PUFActive™ platform leverages synthetic biology and lipid chemistry
to produce and deliver very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFAs)
for ocular and systemic indications. Lucina’s lead program, LUC-101, targets
dry AMD with the potential to be the first therapy to restore vision in this
condition. For more information, visit www.lucina.bio Contact: Christopher Chavez,
Chris@Lucina.bio
