Results Show Application of Collagen Mimetic Peptides to the Ocular Surface Restores
Posterior Segment Integrity Impaired by Ocular Stress
STUART, FL, July 16, 2025 – Stuart Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage drug platform company developing novel therapies for ophthalmic diseases, today announced the publication of a new study in the journal Pharmaceuticals demonstrating therapeutic potential of collagen mimetic peptides (CMPs) in treating ophthalmic disease1. The study results indicate that the topical application of CMPs, designed to bind to and repair disease- and trauma-damaged collagen, could have a therapeutic effect on ocular diseases in which reduced tissue stiffness and integrity caused by ocular stress is a factor, including myopia.
“These encouraging results add to our growing body of research supporting the therapeutic potential of CMPs in a range of chronic ophthalmic diseases,” said Stuart Therapeutics President and CEO Eric Schlumpf. “Stuart Therapeutics is currently developing several candidates in a novel drug class of CMPs derived from the company’s patented and proprietary PolyCol™ technology platform, which have a unique mechanism of action. This publication, along with additional research that includes our own clinical trials, bolsters our commitment to developing our current candidates and exploring the utility of CMPs in treating additional indications.”
In this vehicle-controlled animal model study, researchers first measured how stress caused by elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) affects stiffness in the posterior segment; specifically, the collagen-rich peripapillary sclera, which is impacted by ocular stress and is also integral to the eye’s response to it.2 Investigators then assessed whether topical application of a CMP could restore tissue stiffness. Over a four-week period, the researchers observed a decrease in scleral stiffness that corresponded with an increase in fragmented, or damaged, collagen. During the same period, the application of CMPs to the ocular surface had a concurrently restorative effect on both scleral stiffness and collagen structure.
“Stress-induced reduction in tissue stiffness and collagen damage occur, and facilitate disease progression, in many conditions that involve the peripapillary sclera, including myopia,” said David Calkins, PhD, vice president for research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and lead investigator of the study. “While more research is needed, our results suggest that CMPs, when applied to the ocular surface, could promote the restoration of tissue stiffness and integrity challenged by degraded or remodeled collagen, thus helping the eye maintain its ability to respond to disease-related ocular stress.”
The implications of the ability of CMPs to restore scleral stiffness are significant. Myopia is very common, estimated to affect over two billion people* worldwide and over 40%** of the US population. Further, it has a high incidence rate in young persons, particularly in Asia, and 15% of all persons affected have “high myopia” (typically -6.00 Diopters or greater).*** While corrective lenses can assist, high myopia patients are more likely to suffer retinal detachment, macular degeneration, glaucoma, and other ocular health problems. The only approved pharmaceutical option is atropine, which has had mixed clinical trial results and comes with potentially significant side effects. CMPs, as Stuart has demonstrated in its recent Phase III trial of ST-100 for dry eye disease, are extremely well-tolerated. A well-tolerated and effective therapeutic for myopia would provide welcome relief to a very large population.
About Stuart Therapeutics’ PolyCol Platform
Stuart Therapeutics’ PolyCol™ platform of collagen mimetic peptides are synthesized therapeutic polypeptides that target and heal specific areas of collagen damage that are implicated in chronic diseases of the eye. In several chronic ophthalmic indications, disease processes cause cellular release of enzymes called matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that degrade and remodel collagen proteins. One specific area of degradation is in helical collagen structures (found in all collagen types). These helical structures are important domains that are involved in intra- and intercellular signaling in healthy tissue. When acted on by MMPs, the resulting disruption in these helical structures diminishes their activity as signaling proteins, leading to a cycle of inflammation and further damage. Healthy collagen structures are required for full and healthy recovery of the affected tissues. Normally, collagen is replaced quite slowly compared to other tissues in the body. As people age, the body’s ability to produce replacement collagen is reduced, thus leading to chronic disease. PolyCol CMPs are structured as a single strand of amino acids, and are mimics of sequences found in normal, healthy helical collagen domains. These CMPs are specifically designed to bind or intercalate into the key damaged areas in the collagen-containing matrix, restoring cell signaling and the structural role that collagen plays in healthy tissues. Treatment with CMPs works quickly, and results in the rapid restoration of tissue health and concomitant reduction in inflammation. PolyCol is being developed for several common disease indications in ophthalmology, including dry eye disease, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, recurrent corneal erosion, and myopia.
About Stuart Therapeutics, Inc.
Headquartered in Stuart, Florida, Stuart Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage drug platform company. The company is the leader in the research and development of therapeutics targeting the ocular extracellular matrix.
References:
- Wareham, L.K.; Bou Ghanem, G.O.; Clark, K.L.; Schlumpf, E.; Del Buono, B.J.; Calkins, D.J. Topical Application of a Collagen Mimetic Peptide Restores Peripapillary Scleral Stiffness Reduced by Ocular Stress. Pharmaceuticals 2025, 18, 875-891.
- Voorhees, A.P.; Jan, N.J.; Hua, Y.; Yang, B.; Sigal, I.A. Peripapillary sclera architecture revisited: A tangential fiber model and its biomechanical implications. Acta Biomater. 2018, 79, 113–122.
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* https://www.aaojournal.org/article/S0161-6420(16)00025-7/fulltext
*** https://www.aaojournal.org/article/S0161-6420(16)00025-7/fulltext
