By advancing a breakthrough technology designed to prevent the death of key retinal cells caused by the activation of the natural Fas pathway, ONL is pioneering an entirely new approach to preserve sight. It is the first and only company focused on preventing Fas-mediated death of key retinal cells, which is a root cause of vision loss, a leading cause of blindness and an unaddressed medical need.

Based on its industry-leading expertise in retinal neuroprotection, ONL is developing first-in-class treatments for serious, vision-threatening retinal diseases and conditions. The company possesses a strong and wide-ranging intellectual property portfolio around both the Fas pathway and the composition of its drug candidates, as well as experienced management and expert advisory teams with decades of experience in drug development and retinal disease.

ONL’s lead therapeutic candidate, xelafaslatide (formerly ONL1204), is a first-in-class small peptide Fas inhibitor designed to protect retinal cells from both death and inflammatory signaling pathways. Xelafaslatide is being developed for the treatment of retinal detachment, an acute condition for which the company has been granted orphan drug designation by the FDA. In addition, ONL is currently in active clinical development of xelafaslatide for the treatment of geographic atrophy associated with age-related macular degeneration and open-angle glaucoma.