MIAMI, Fla. — September 17, 2026
Telomir Pharmaceuticals announced the peer-reviewed publication of new preclinical research showing that Telomir-Zn improved visual function, retinal structure and mitochondrial oxidative stress in a model of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The findings, published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, expand the biological characterization of Telomir-Zn beyond the company’s current oncology focus and provide evidence linking intracellular metal homeostasis with epigenetic regulation in retinal degeneration. The study reported improvements in visual performance and retinal structure alongside changes in DNA methylation and relative telomeric DNA content following treatment.
Telomir-Zn Improves Retinal Function and Reduces Oxidative Stress
Oral Telomir-Zn treatment for 14 days significantly improved multiple measures of visual performance in the accelerated retinal degeneration model, including central visual response, moving-object tracking and adaptation to changes in light intensity. Histological analyses showed improvements in retinal degeneration and restoration of thickness across multiple retinal layers, including the outer and inner nuclear layers, outer plexiform layer and ganglion cell layer. Telomir-Zn also reduced mitochondrial oxidative stress, with the higher dose lowering reactive oxygen species toward wild-type baseline. Complementary experiments in human ARPE-19 retinal pigment epithelial cells showed dose-dependent reductions in metal-induced calcium dysregulation and intracellular reactive oxygen species.
Study Links Metal Homeostasis to Epigenetic Regulation
Mechanistic studies identified intracellular metal modulation and inhibition of iron-dependent Jumonji C histone demethylases (KDMs) as potential components of Telomir-Zn activity. Treatment increased intracellular zinc while reducing labile Fe²⁺, while biochemical assays demonstrated inhibition across KDM2, KDM5 and KDM6 enzyme families, with the strongest activity reported against KDM5B at an IC50 of 63 nM. The study also found that Telomir-Zn increased relative telomeric DNA content toward levels observed in healthy animals and was associated with restoration of selected aging-related DNA methylation patterns. These findings suggest that modulation of intracellular metal availability may influence epigenetic processes involved in inflammation, senescence, DNA repair and cellular survival under retinal oxidative and mitochondrial stress.
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Telomir Maintains Oncology Focus With Telomir-Zn
Telomir’s clinical development of Telomir-Zn remains focused on oncology, with the compound advancing under an FDA-cleared Investigational New Drug application for a Phase 1/2 trial in patients with advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. The company said the AMD findings add to published research supporting a broader biological framework centered on intracellular metal homeostasis and epigenetic regulation. Previous oncology research has linked reduction of labile intracellular iron and inhibition of iron-dependent KDMs with epigenetic reprogramming and anti-tumor activity. While the retinal findings remain preclinical and do not establish a clinical application in AMD, they provide additional evidence for Telomir-Zn’s biological activity across different disease models as the company advances its lead program in cancer.
Source:Telomir Pharmaceuticals, press release
