BioAge Labs is expanding its lead drug candidate into diabetic macular oedema, with plans to start a phase 1b/2a trial in mid-2026.
The clinical-stage biotechnology company will test BGE-102, an oral therapy, in patients with the condition, which is one of the most common causes of vision impairment among people with diabetes.
Diabetic macular oedema occurs when persistently high blood sugar damages the small blood vessels in the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye, leading to fluid leakage and distorted vision.
While the condition is linked to diabetes, its progression is tied to chronic inflammation.
Current treatments focus on managing damage after it has begun. Patients often receive regular injections directly into the eye, sometimes monthly, to control swelling and preserve sight.
These therapies can be effective, but they are invasive, time-intensive and difficult to sustain over years.
Kristen Fortney is chief executive and co-founder of BioAge.
She said: “NLRP3 sits at the apex of this cascade, and BGE-102 offers the potential to deliver broader anti-inflammatory benefit in an oral formulation, which could meaningfully reduce treatment burden for patients with serious, sight-threatening conditions who currently require frequent intravitreal injections.”
BGE-102 is an oral NLRP3 inhibitor, designed to dampen inflammation at its source.
NLRP3 is a protein that drives inflammatory signalling and becomes increasingly active with age and metabolic stress.
When overactivated, it triggers signals that damage tissues throughout the body, including the retina.
What BioAge says makes BGE-102 notable in ophthalmology is its potential to reach the retina via oral dosing, a barrier many drugs struggle to cross.
If successful, this could reduce the treatment burden for patients who currently rely on frequent eye injections.
In early laboratory studies designed to mimic diabetic eye disease, BGE-102 helped keep the retina’s tiny blood vessels intact.
In studies examining ageing in the retina more broadly, blocking NLRP3 reduced the build-up of lipofuscin, a toxic waste material that accumulates in eye cells over time and is linked to degenerative vision loss, by roughly 80 per cent.
In an ongoing phase 1 trial, the drug has been well tolerated and reduced inflammatory signals in the body, including markers linked to cardiovascular and metabolic ageing.
The phase 1b/2a trial will test BGE-102 on its own and alongside existing treatments, aiming to show whether the drug calms the inflammation that damages vision over time.
Researchers will track changes in IL-6, a key inflammatory signal, within the eye, alongside measures of vision and retinal swelling. Results are expected in mid-2027.
The eye study will run alongside BioAge’s ongoing cardiovascular trial.
The company describes BGE-102 as a potential “pipeline in a pill”, targeting NLRP3-driven inflammation across cardiovascular, central nervous system and ocular diseases.
