What is "aganirsen"

n. An inhibitor of insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1 expression.

Aganirsen (previously GS-101) is a 25 mer DNA antisense oligonucleotide therapeutic inhibiting insulin receptor substrate-1 ( IRS-1), which is being investigated as a topical treatment for ocular neovascularisation. Aganirsen is a candidate for the treatment of ocular neovascularization in patients suffering from front of the eye (cornea) or back of the eye (retinal) diseases, including progressive corneal neovascularisation in patients suffering from infectious keratitis and wet age related macular degeneration (AMD).

Aganirsen actively inhibits the production of IRS-1 by binding IRS-1 mRNA ( antisense therapy). Aganirsen therefore induces an upstream inhibition of the neovascularization pathway, most notably by inhibiting excess VEGF and Il-1β expression.