Protein conjugates and fusion proteins as ocular therapeutics

•Current treatments for AMD and the need for LAD are summarized.•Key considerations for development of LAD technologies are detailed.•Currently marketed products that could or do utilize LAD approaches are reviewed.•Emergent LAD technologies for current and future therapies are considered. Long-acting delivery (LAD) of ocular therapeutics has potential to improve the standard of care for ocular diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), by increasing patient compliance and reducing overall treatment burden on patients and healthcare providers. Although relatively few ocular LAD technologies are currently on the market, a variety of emergent and novel protein engineering-based technologies are being investigated in both the laboratory and clinical settings. Here, we review some of the key indications and treatments that would benefit from the development of LAD for the treatment of ocular diseases and examine the current state of LAD technologies that leverage protein-engineering approaches as well as nascent technologies with potential for future impact.