Summary of an interview with Dr. Mark Barakat, Director of Research at Retina Macula Institute of Arizona, published by touchOPHTHALMOLOGY on October 16, 2026. Read the full interview on touchOPHTHALMOLOGY.
At the Euretina 2026 congress in Vienna, Dr. Mark Barakat presented two-year results from LUNA, a phase 2 trial of ixoberogene soroparvovec (Ixo-vec). Ixo-vec is an investigational gene therapy for neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration. After the meeting, Dr. Barakat spoke with touchOPHTHALMOLOGY about what the results mean for patients.
What is Ixo-vec?
Most people with wet AMD today need repeated anti-VEGF injections into the eye, often every one to two months, to keep the disease under control. Ixo-vec takes a different approach. It is given once, as an injection into the eye, and is designed so that the eye then keeps producing its own supply of aflibercept, a widely used anti-VEGF medicine.
Key two-year findings
- Far fewer injections. The 60 trial participants had previously needed around 10 anti-VEGF injections a year. After Ixo-vec, their annual injection rate fell by roughly 90% at both doses studied, and the reduction lasted through two years.
- Stable vision and retina. Visual acuity and retinal thickness on OCT scans held steady over the two years.
- Reassuring safety so far. No severe safety signals were reported, including hypotony (low eye pressure) or vasculitis. Inflammation remains an important thing to monitor with any gene therapy.
Who might benefit?
Dr. Barakat noted that LUNA enrolled only patients who had already been treated for wet AMD. In future, gene therapy could also help newly diagnosed patients, people who respond poorly to current treatments, or anyone who wants fewer injections. More research is needed to know where it fits best. He also pointed out that not every patient needs frequent injections, so choosing the right candidates will matter.
What comes next
Two phase 3 trials of Ixo-vec are now under way. Each compares a single dose of Ixo-vec, given after three monthly aflibercept injections, with standard aflibercept injections every two months. Their results will help show whether Ixo-vec should become a treatment option.
Dr. Barakat said patients are often very enthusiastic about gene therapy, and some ask about it at their appointments. He stressed that it is not yet available outside clinical trials for wet AMD. Reimbursement, access and how it fits into everyday care will also have to be worked out.
Source
LUNA: What have we learned about the potential of Ixo-vec in wet AMD? touchOPHTHALMOLOGY. October 16, 2026. https://touchophthalmology.com/insight/luna-what-have-we-learned-about-the-potential-of-ixo-vec-in-wet-amd/
Study reference: Barakat M, et al. Ixoberogene soroparvovec (Ixo-vec) intravitreal gene therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD): LUNA trial 2-year results. Presented at EURETINA 2026, Vienna, Austria.
Disclosure (from the source): Dr. Barakat is an investigator and consultant for Adverum Biotechnologies. Ixo-vec is investigational and is not approved by the FDA. This article is for general information and is not medical advice. If you have questions about wet AMD treatment or clinical trials, please contact our office.
