Photodynamic therapy treatment for eye disease

• US 7,320,786 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2005
• Issued: 01/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Light Sciences Oncology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Light Sciences Oncology, Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, James C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan; Christina
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, PHUONG N
• Application Number:
  US11/297,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20060088530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 424/9.6
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 41/0057 Photodynamic therapy with a photosensitizer, i.e. agent able to produce reactive oxygen species upon exposure to light or radiation, e.g. UV or visible light; photocleavage of nucleic acids with an agent
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 41/0071 PDT with porphyrins having exactly 20 ring atoms, i.e. based on the non-expanded tetrapyrrolic ring system, e.g. bacteriochlorin, chlorin-e6, or phthalocyanines
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 41/0076 PDT with expanded (metallo)porphyrins, i.e. having more than 20 ring atoms, e.g. texaphyrins, sapphyrins, hexaphyrins, pentaphyrins, porphocyanines
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 47/62 the modifying agent being a protein, peptide or polyamino acid
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 47/6843 the antibody targeting a material from animals or humans
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 47/6847 the antibody targeting a hormone or a hormone-releasing or -inhibiting factor
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 27/02 Ophthalmic agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 3/10 for hyperglycaemia, e.g. antidiabetics
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 35/00 Antineoplastic agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 9/00 Drugs for disorders of the cardiovascular system

Abstract

This invention discloses methods, kits, and instructions to treat neovasculature diseases of the eye through the administration of a targeted photosensitizing agent and subsequent exposure to light of specific wavelength sufficient to photoactivate photosensitizing agent. The photosensitizing agent is bound to a composition that mediates site specific delivery to a neovasculature target tissue of a therapeutically effective amount of a photosensitizing agent that is activated by a relatively low fluence rate of light over a prolonged period of time. Diseases treatable under this invention, include: diabetic retinopathy; macular degeneration; and malignant uveal melanomas.

Claims

1. A method of treating neovascular disease of the eye, comprising:

administering a conjugate to target neovascular tissue of the eye comprising;

a photosensitizing compound selected from the group consisting of chlorines, bacteriochlorophylls, phthalocyanines, porphyrins, purpurins, merocyanines, psoralens, porfimer sodium, delta-aminolevulinic acid protoporphyrin, indocyanine green, benzoporphyrin, methylene blue, toluidine blue, texaphyrins, pyropheophorbide compounds, and verteporfin; and

a targeting moiety that selectively binds to abnormal endothelium, wherein the targeting moiety consists of an antibody or an antibody fragment thereof that binds to a VEGF receptor;

allowing sufficient time for the conjugate to clear from non-targeted tissue of the eye; and

illuminating the eye with a light having a wave length or waveband absorbed by the targeted photosensitizing compound to activate the photosensitizing compound, and

wherein the light has a combination of an intensity of light of less than 500 mW/cm² and a duration of illumination of about 4 minutes to produce a total fluence of light irradiation from between about 30 J/cm² to about 25,000 J/cm² which destroys the targeted neovascular tissue while the non-targeted tissue remains undamaged.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sufficient time for the conjugate to clear from the non-targeted tissue is about 24 hours or less.

3. The method of treating neovascular disease of the eye of claim 1, wherein the method is performed one time or multiple times in the eye.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the light is non-coherent light.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the light is coherent light.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the neovascular tissue is present in retina, choroids or both.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the total fluence of light irradiation from between about 30 J/cm² to about 10,000 j/cm².

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the total fluence of light irradiation from between about 30 J/cm² to about 900 J/cm².

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the eye is illuminated with a light having a wave length or waveband that matches the excitation wave length or waveband of the targeted photosensitizing compound to activate the photosensitizing compound.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the neovascular disease is diabetic retinopathy.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the neovascular disease is macular degeneration.

12. A method of treating neovascular disease of the eye, comprising:

administering a conjugate to target neovascular tissue of the eye comprising;

a photosensitizing compound selected from the group consisting of chlorines, bacteriochlorophylls, phthalocyanines, porphyrins, purpurins, merocyanines, psoralens, porfimer sodium, delta-aminolevulinic acid protoporphyrin, indocyanine green, benzoporphyrin, methylene blue, toluidine blue, texaphyrins, pyropheophorbide compounds, and verteporfin; and

a targeting moiety that selectively binds to abnormal endothelium, wherein the targeting moiety consists of an antibody or an antibody fragment thereof that binds to a VEGF receptor;

allowing sufficient time for the conjugate to clear from non-targeted tissue of the eye; and

illuminating the eye with a light having a wave length or waveband absorbed by the targeted photosensitizing compound to activate the photosensitizing compound, and

wherein the light has a combination of an intensity of light of less than 500 mW/cm² and a duration of illumination of about 4 minutes to about 10 minutes to produce a total fluence of light irradiation from between about 30 J/cm² to about 10,000 J/cm² which destroys the targeted neovascular tissue while the non-targeted tissue remains undamaged.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the total fluence of light irradiation from between about 30 J/cm² to about 900 J/cm².

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the eye is illuminated with a light having a wave length or waveband that matches the excitation wave length or waveband of the targeted photosensitizing compound to activate the photosensitizing compound.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the targeted neovascular tissue is present in retina, choroid or both.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the neovascular disease is diabetic retinopathy.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the neovascular disease is macular degeneration.