Amarantus Bioscience Holdings, Inc. announced that subsidiary MANF Therapeutics has been issued a Chinese patent covering the use of mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) and/or cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) for the treatment of retinal disorders. MANF Therapeutics is focused on the development of MANF as an intravitreal injection for the treatment of glaucoma, macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa and Wolfram Syndrome. The ophthalmic therapeutic market is expected to reach $35B by 2025 according to Grand View Research, Inc. Glaucoma affects approximately 4 million people in the United States, with a total drug market size of approximately $3B. With its novel mechanism of action, MANF addresses key pathways in a variety of ‘back of the eye’ retinal conditions, which is an area with significant unmet medical need. MANF has significant therapeutic potential across multiple orphan ophthalmological conditions such as retinal artery occlusion (RAO) and retinitis pigmentosa, where MANF has already received orphan drug designations from the FDA, Wolfram Syndrome, as well as in larger indications such as glaucoma, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, including stroke and myocardial infarction. MANF Therapeutics is the front-runner and primary worldwide intellectual property (IP) holder for MANF-based therapies including protein therapy, gene therapy and cell therapy. The Company owns rights to composition of matter patents and patent applications for MANF and owns, or has licenses to, method of use patents and patent applications covering the use of MANF in ophthalmology, neurology and diabetes.