Ray Therapeutics' lead product aims to restore visual function in patients with damaged retinal cells by making other neuronal cell types of the eye light-sensitive without the need for goggles or other light enhancing devices.
'Ray Therapeutics is developing the world's first bioengineered optogenetic therapies optimized for human vision, with the potential to restore both higher visual function and quality of life to blind patients, which aligns with our purpose to improve people's health,' said
'This Series A financing marks a significant milestone in our mission to address the urgent unmet medical need of patients with blinding diseases,' said
Deerfield,
A novel approach for patients
Visual optogenetics uses gene therapy to deliver a light sensitive protein to cells in the retina. Light entering the eye can then stimulate these cells to produce a visual signal that is sent to the brain. Ray Therapeutics is using this technology to build a pipeline of next-generation genotype agnostic therapeutics for vision restoration in multiple retinal diseases where the normal light sensing cells (photoreceptors) are lost, for example retinitis pigmentosa, other inherited retinal dystrophies and late-stage macular degeneration.
The company's lead candidate, RTx-015, is designed to be delivered using an outpatient intravitreal injection and would not need to be combined with any special light-amplifying devices, supplements, or other drugs. Earlier approaches in optogenetics have demonstrated limited efficacy and require light enhancing devices for maximal efficacy.
RTx-015, expected to begin first-in-human clinical trials in the next year, would be groundbreaking for individuals who are already blind, as most treatments in development have been aimed at slowing the pace of vision loss. If RTx-015 is efficacious it could restore a level of vision to Retinitis Pigmentosa patients sufficient to conduct daily tasks like eating or navigating around their homes independently and in normal lighting conditions, and potentially restore the visual acuity required for things such as recognizing faces or reading, significantly improving their quality of life. Currently, more than half a million people are probably affected by Retinitis Pigmentosa worldwide.
'RTx-015 has shown impressive results in preclinical studies and offers hope to patients who currently have limited to no treatment options with retinitis pigmentosa and other inherited retinal degenerations. These novel therapies could significantly improve the lives of individuals with blinding disorders, by potentially restoring vision with the power of optogenetics,' said
In connection with the financing,
About Ray Therapeutics
Ray Therapeutics is developing novel optogenetics gene therapies for patients with blinding diseases. The company is developing its lead candidate RTx-015 in retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative retinal disease with significant unmet medical need. The company's mission is to use optogenetics to restore vision, independent of genetic mutation for patients with inherited retinal diseases. Ray Therapeutics is based in
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