Celanese Announces a Research Agreement with Johns Hopkins University to Advance Sustained Ocular Drug Delivery to the Suprachoroidal Space

Work may provide insights to help improve treatment paradigm for retinal disorders

Celanese Corporation (NYSE: CE), a global specialty materials and chemical company, today announced an agreement with Johns Hopkins University Department of Ophthalmology to collaborate on a study of sustained drug delivery to the suprachoroidal space in the eye.

Direct administration of therapeutics to the suprachoroidal space is growing more common as an approach for the treatment of retinal disorders. Treatment currently consists of frequent ocular injections performed at the physician’s office. A bioinert implant based on the VitalDose® platform can provide sustained ocular drug delivery for greater than six months, providing an alternative approach for reliable, continuous dosing and reducing the treatment burden for the patient.

The VitalDose® Drug Delivery Platform independently has proven biocompatibility and achieves greater than six months release of mAbs, peptides, small molecules and RNAi therapeutics, making it suitable for delivering a variety of therapeutics used for ophthalmologic conditions.

“Our collaboration with John Hopkins Department of Ophthalmology allows us to seek out scientific advancements with potential to improve patient health in ophthalmology,” said Cyonna Holmes, global business strategy leader for ophthalmology at Celanese. “The VitalDose® technology platform has potential well beyond its present commercialized applications. That’s why we explore collaborations that cross traditional boundaries with the goal to realize improvements in patient compliance and health through innovative treatments in areas like ophthalmology, women’s health, rare diseases and the central nervous system.”

Scientists at the Celanese Development & Feasibility Lab will independently conduct portions of the planned research in this dedicated pharmaceutical facility. Since opening in 2021, the lab has provided customized support to accelerate customers’ long-acting drug delivery development programs. Services include material characterization; injection molding, hot-melt extrusion and other prototyping capabilities; monolithic or multi-layer drug-loaded prototypes; in vitro characterization and drug release studies; and tooling design and development.

The VitalDose® Drug Delivery Platform provides reliable, controlled-release performance and has a long history of use in approved parenteral drug products in the United States and Europe. For more information on Celanese VitalDose® technology, visit www.vitaldose.com.

About Celanese

Celanese Corporation is a global chemical leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Our businesses use the full breadth of Celanese's global chemistry, technology, and commercial expertise to create value for our customers, employees, shareholders and the corporation. As we partner with our customers to solve their most critical business needs, we strive to make a positive impact on our communities and the world through The Celanese Foundation. Based in Dallas, Celanese employs approximately 13,000 employees worldwide and had 2021 net sales of $8.5 billion. For more information about Celanese Corporation and its product offerings, visit www.celanese.com.

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