Thymosin beta 4 and the eye: the journey from bench to bedside

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4) has important applications in ocular repair and Phase 3 clinical trials using Tβ4 to treat dry eye and neurotrophic keratopathy are currently ongoing. These exciting clinical possibilities for Tβ4 in the eye are the result of seminal basic scientific discoveries and contributions from so many talented investigators.

Areas covered: My personal Tβ4 journey began at the NIH in 1998 and propelled my career as a clinician scientist. As a tribute to the amazing individuals who have guided and supported me along with my brilliant colleagues and students who have contributed and collaborated with me over the years, this review will tell the cumulative story of how Tβ4 became a major potential new therapy for corneal wound healing disorders. The journey has been marked by the thrilling exhilaration from fundamental breakthroughs in the laboratory and clinic, combined with the challenging and often harsh realities of submitting grants and obtaining funding.

Expert opinion: The electrifying possibility of Tβ4 as a revolutionary novel dry eye therapy is something that could have only been dreamed about just a few years ago. We believe that Tβ4 eyedrops will help many patients suffering from several ocular surface related disorders.

KEYWORDS:

• Thymosin beta 4
• cornea
• dry eye
• neurotrophic keratopathy

Acknowledgments

I am humbled and honored to receive the 2017 Abraham White Lifetime Science Award. As a clinician scientist, the opportunity to participate and contribute to alleviating human suffering is both a humbling and awesome task and responsibility. I am most appreciative and grateful to my mentors, colleagues, post-docs, students, and laboratory personnel who contributed so much to this milestone. Detailed acknowledgements are listed in the supplemental information.

Declaration of interest

The author is a paid consultant with RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals and Gtree BNT. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Additional information

Funding

This paper has been published as part of a supplement issue covering the proceedings of the Fifth International Symposium on Thymosins in Health and Disease and is funded by SciClone Pharmaceuticals.