A U.S. patent has been issued to Cagri Besirli, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and Thomas Wubben, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, for a new treatment designed to help people with serious eye diseases like macular degeneration and inherited retinal dystrophies. “For many of the conditions we’re targeting, there are no effective treatments,” says Dr. Besirli. “We are interested in developing new therapies to prevent vision loss caused by retinal diseases.” The patent, titled “Compositions and Methods for Treating Eye Disorders,” was granted in February 2025. The research led by Drs. Besirli and Wubben focused on how the eye’s light-sensing cells, called photoreceptors, use energy. “These cells sit in the retina, the part of the eye that detects light,” he says. “When photoreceptors start to break down, their normal energy use gets disrupted.” Based on this finding, the team developed a new drug that restores function of a key protein—PKM2. “It helps photoreceptors use energy the right way again and repair some of their problems,” says Dr. Besirli. “When eye cells are damaged, they can’t use energy correctly. This new drug helps them recover, which may prevent vision loss.” Drs. Besirli and Wubben are collaborating closely with Jason Rech, PhD, director of the Vahlteich Medicinal Chemistry Core and associate research scientist in medicinal chemistry, U-M College of Pharmacy, to develop next-generation drugs that offer new hope for the treatment of blinding retinal diseases. There is also potential for the drug to be taken by mouth, which is an advantage over existing treatments that require injections. The patent has been granted to the University of Michigan and licensed to Ocutheia, a company founded by Drs. Besirli, Wubben, and Rech, to develop the innovation for clinical use. Right now, Ocutheia is working to bring the drug to first-in-human trials.