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Adenovirus-specific treatment for ocular infections

Acute infectious conjunctivitis is an extremely common condition that, in principle, can be caused by either bacterial or viral pathogens. However, it is estimated that more than 50% of all infectious conjunctivitis cases have a viral etiology and that up to 90% of these cases are caused by human adenovirus (hADV), making this virus the single‐most common cause of ocular infections worldwide. The most severe manifestation of an hADV eye infection is epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC). The disease involves both the conjunctiva and the cornea and carries the risk of potential long‐term consequences for visual acuity. Surprisingly, despite high incidence, severity of infection and known viral cause, no causal treatments for this disease are approved to date leaving patients only with supportive therapy directed toward limiting the severity of symptoms. Given this unmet medical need, AiCuris is pursuing multiple innovative programs exploiting different anti hADV drug targets with the aim to develop the first topical treatment for ocular hAdV infections including EKC.