On October 28, 2025, Texas Retina Associates Director of Clinical Research for Dallas Ashkan Abbey, MD, dosed the first patient in the Phase 1b/2a LOTUS-2 clinical trial of novel multivalent fusion antibody (EB-105) for diabetic macular edema (DME).
The LOTUS-2 clinical trial is the multiple ascending dose portion of the Phase 1b study of EB-105. In June 2025, Eluminex Biosciences Inc., the maker of EB-105, announced positive topline safety, tolerability and pharmacodynamic data from the multicenter LOTUS Part 1 clinical trial in patients with vision-threatening DME. Texas Retina was one of five sites for that study and enrolled the most patients with Dr. Abbey serving as a Principal Investigator and dosing the study’s first patient in July 2024.
Challenges in Treating DME and The Aim of EB-105
Macular edema is the build-up of fluid in the macula, which causes it to swell and thicken, distorting vision. It happens when damaged blood vessels in the nearby retina leak fluid abnormally, causing it to accumulate in the macula. EB-105 is the world’s first pentavalent trispecific antibody targeting VEGF-A, VEGF-B, placental growth factor (PlGF), angiopoetin-2 (Ang-2), and interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R) in diabetic macular edema (DME).
“Patients with DME often have persistence of intraretinal fluids even after ongoing use of available anti-VEGF treatments like aflibercept and faricimab, and we believe this is due to inflammation, including elevated levels of a pro-inflammatory protein called IL-6,” explains Dr. Abbey. “This can make their condition difficult to manage. We were excited to see the positive results after just a single intravitreal injection of EB-105. Part 2 of the LOTUS study will assess multiple intravitreal injections of EB-105 in patients with DME, and the hope is that doing so will provide even further clinical benefit in terms of reducing edema and improving visual acuity and durability.”
Dr. Abbey serves as a Principal Investigator for the LOTUS-2 trial in Texas Retina’s Dallas Main office. For more information about participation, click HERE to contact study coordinator Paige Abril.
Physicians can click HERE to directly refer a patient for this trial.
To learn more about all the clinical trials currently available at Texas Retina, click HERE.