Drug Delivery Challenges and Novel Therapeutic Approaches for Retinal Diseases

This book reviews the current state of ocular drug therapy and future therapeutic opportunities for a wide variety of conditions, including Age-related Macular Degeneration, Diabetic Retinopathy and Macular Edema, Glaucoma, and Inherited Retinal Diseases.
Retinal diseases are major contributors to moderate or severe vision impairment in adults aged 50 years and older. The respective patient populations for many of these indications is expected to significantly increase as the world population continues to grow older. An improved understanding of the etiological underpinnings of ocular degenerative diseases over the past decade has significantly bolstered ophthalmic drug discovery.
In this volume, contributions from leading experts explore the unique challenges faced for ocular drug discovery and delivery providing the reader with detailed information on ocular pharmacokinetics, in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo models for retinal disease pathology and emerging gene therapy treatments. The book is intended for all researchers and clinicians who wish to increase their knowledge on the latest findings in ocular drug therapy.


Christopher L. Cioffi is an Assistant Professor of Medicinal Chemistry in the Department of Basic and Clinical Sciences and the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Christopher received his doctorate in Organic Chemistry from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2000. He subsequently conducted a 16-year career as a medicinal chemist at Albany Molecular Research, Inc. where he led numerous medicinal chemistry teams and made significant drug design contributions to programs that advanced drug candidates into pre-clinical development and clinical trials. His work has spanned several therapeutic areas that include cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, CNS, and ophthalmic indications. Notably, Christopher has contributed to the discovery of Eli Lilly's cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitor evacetrapib, which progressed to Phase III clinical trials for dyslipidemia. Additionally, he has co-discovered the 5-HT3 partial agonist SMP-100 (SciMount Therapeutics) to be studied for efficacy against IBS-D and the retinol binding protein 4 antagonist tinlarebant (Belite Bio) for the treatment of Stargardt disease. Tinlarebant has completed Phase I clinical trials and Phase II trials with Stargardt disease patients are expected to commence in 2020. SMP-100 is currently undergoing Phase I clinical trials. Christopher joined Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in 2016 and is engaged drug discovery projects focused in the areas of atrophic age-related macular degeneration and chronic pain.