Singapore, May 16 -- Patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) currently face a therapeutic gap-one that often leaves them untreated until their condition worsens and requires invasive procedures. Vantage Biosciences, supported by ALSA Ventures, is working to close that gap with VX-01, an investigational oral drug that targets AOC-3, a key driver of neurovascular inflammation. In this interview with BioSpectrum Asia, Alek Safarian, CEO of ALSA Ventures, shares how VX-01 could become the first oral, disease-modifying treatment for NPDR, offering earlier, safer intervention to preserve vision and alter the progression of diabetic eye disease.

"We believe that cascade of inflammation is what drives much of the damage we se...