NOTICE:

In 2010, Optherion completed two separate business transactions, one related to its diagnostics business and one related to its therapeutics business.

With respect to its diagnostics business, in February, 2010, Optherion completed an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Sequenom, Inc.. Under the agreement, Sequenom’s CAP accredited and CLIA-certified laboratory, Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine (Sequenom CMM), obtained the rights to develop and commercialize diagnostic tests to predict genetic predisposition to late stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Please see News Room at Optherion.com for Sequenom’s press release.

With respect to its therapeutics business, also in 2010, Optherion completed a business transaction with another company. Both the company name and the transaction economics are confidential.

As a result of these two transactions, Optherion, itself, is no longer actively developing any diagnostics or therapeutics. Given this, the Optherion.com website has not been updated since year-end, 2010 albeit the nature of Optherion’s diagnostic and therapeutic endeavors are accurately represented in the website for the time period prior to the transactions.

Kindest regards,

Colin J. Foster
President & CEO
Optherion, Inc.

About Us

Optherion, Inc. is a biotechnology company that is developing diagnostic and disease-modifying therapeutics for the management and treatment of early-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD), dense deposit disease (DDD, also referred to as membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis [MPGN II]), atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), and other chronic diseases involving the alternative complement cascade.

Optherion’s intellectual properties are based on recent scientific discoveries linking specific genes to AMD and various renal diseases.  AMD is the leading cause of blindness in people over 60 in the developed world.  It is estimated that there are 15-20 million people with AMD in the U.S. and more than 50 million worldwide.  DDD and aHUS are rare renal diseases that most commonly occur in young people and frequently lead to end-stage renal disease.  

Scientific discoveries published in 2005 link Complement Factor H (CFH) and Complement Factor B (CFB)/Complement Component 2 (C2) – both regulators of the alternative complement pathway – to AMD and DDD.  Since this time, genetic variations on Chromosome 10 and a limited number of other genes have been implicated in AMD.  The range of AMD genetic discoveries forms the basis of the company’s diagnostic and therapeutic development program.

Optherion is located in New Haven, Connecticut, USA.