A new small molecule targeting integrins and the angiogenic cascade is scheduled for testing in a Phase Ia/IIb clinical study in wet AMD patients. The compound, “ALG-1001”, sponsored by US company Allegro Ophthalmics, will additionally be used in a second clinical trial in patients with DME. The new compound, characterised by its sponsor as an “integrin peptide therapy”, is understood to inhibit cell adhesion meditated by integrins – a class of transmembrane cell receptors that function both in mechanical cell-to-cell support and in cell signalling roles. Given the compound’s purported mechanism of action, targeting a number of angiogenic pathways simultaneously and at an earlier stage of angiogenesis than other anti-VEGF treatments, the sponsor aims to offer alternative treatment options to clinicians.