Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40443830›Full record

ArticleResearch (Washington, D.C.)2025

An Engineered Intravitreal Injection Retinal-Pigment-Epithelium-Tropic Adeno-Associated Virus Vector Expressing a Bispecific Antibody Binding VEGF-A and ANG-2 Rescues Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Animal Models and Patients.

Yuan Cai, Yonghao Gu, Jie Zhang, Ying Zhu, Zhen Ma, Qin He, Yongjia Sun, Mengmeng Yuan, Xiaojun Li, Kai Zhu and 10 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Research (Washington, D.C.), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Autophagy in ocular diseases: from mechanisms to therapeutic potential.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2026
    Review
  3. Gene Therapy for Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors.

Yuan CaiFirst Affiliated Hospital of USTC, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
Yonghao GuFirst Affiliated Hospital of USTC, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
Jie ZhangStarrygene Therapeutics Company Limited, Hefei 230031, China.
Ying ZhuStarrygene Therapeutics Company Limited, Hefei 230031, China.
Zhen MaStarrygene Therapeutics Company Limited, Hefei 230031, China.
Qin HeFirst Affiliated Hospital of USTC, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
Yongjia SunFirst Affiliated Hospital of USTC, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
Mengmeng YuanStarrygene Therapeutics Company Limited, Hefei 230031, China.
Xiaojun LiFirst Affiliated Hospital of USTC, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
Kai ZhuFirst Affiliated Hospital of USTC, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
Bolong MiaoStarrygene Therapeutics Company Limited, Hefei 230031, China.
Jin ZhaoStarrygene Therapeutics Company Limited, Hefei 230031, China.
Juan LiuStarrygene Therapeutics Company Limited, Hefei 230031, China.
Min TangStarrygene Therapeutics Company Limited, Hefei 230031, China.
Dali TongFirst Affiliated Hospital of USTC, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
Lixia FengThe First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China.
Ming MaFirst Affiliated Hospital of USTC, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
Guisheng ZhongiHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China.
Zilong QiuStarrygene Therapeutics Company Limited, Hefei 230031, China.
Tian XueFirst Affiliated Hospital of USTC, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6187-122X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Antiangiogenesis gene therapy based on adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors represents a promising advancement in the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), providing an alternative to antibody-based therapies. However, the development of a safe and effective AAV vector capable of precisely targeting neovascularization and choroidal leakage remains a critical unmet need. In the present study, we engineered a novel intravitreally administered AAV vector with retinal-pigment-epithelium (RPE)-specific tropism. This vector demonstrated robust and localized gene expression in RPE cells while maintaining a favorable safety profile. The RPE-tropic AAV vector delivered a dual-acting antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiopoietin-2 (ANG-2), exhibiting strong therapeutic efficacy and tolerability in both rodent and nonhuman primate choroidal neovascularization models. Based on the promising preclinical data, a single-center, single-arm, investigator-initiated trial (ChiCTR2400085329) was conducted to assess its safety and efficacy in patients with nAMD. The RPE-tropic AAV vector expressing anti-VEGF-A and anti-ANG-2 effectively alleviated disease progression and was well tolerated in the clinical setting. These findings highlight the potential of this engineered AAV-RPE capsid as a versatile platform for gene therapy, not only for nAMD but also for other ocular diseases involving RPE cells.

Identifiers

PMID40443830
PMCPMC12120248

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.