University of Michigan spinoff ONL Therapeutics receives federal designation for retinal drug

Tom Henderson - ONL Therapeutics Inc., an Ann Arbor-based spinoff from the University of Michigan, has received a crucial orphan-drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its lead compound, which has the working name of ONL1204.The drug, expected to go into human trials this year, is used to limit the damage caused to patients who suffer retinal detachments.Even successful retinal reattachments often result in impaired vision. Animal trials show that ONL's drug protects photoreceptors in