Funding will support ongoing clinical development of optogenetic therapy to restore vision
Ray Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing optogenetic gene therapies for vision restoration, today announced it has been awarded an $8 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). The grant will support the company’s ongoing clinical development of RTx-015 for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a progressive and debilitating inherited retinal disease that leads to blindness.
Ray Therapeutics’ approach uses an optimized optogenetic gene therapy to deliver light-sensitive proteins to the retina of the eye to restore visual function to patients with RP, regardless of the underlying genetic cause.
“Retinitis pigmentosa remains a devastating condition with no approved treatments for the vast majority of patients,” said Paul Bresge, CEO & Co-Founder, Ray Therapeutics. “We are deeply grateful to CIRM for their belief in our science and their continued support of our programs. We are honored to partner with CIRM as we advance therapies that have the potential to transform the lives of patients.”
“Restoring vision is one of the most powerful ways we can improve quality of life,” said Jonathan Thomas, PhD, JD, President and CEO, CIRM. “Ray Therapeutics is advancing a potential breakthrough treatment for a high unmet medical need for people in California and around the world with advanced RP, for whom there are currently no treatment options. We are proud to support this exciting program.”
Ray Therapeutics’ gene therapy program received a unanimous vote of support from CIRM’s scientific and patient advocate reviewers. It was recognized by CIRM’s independent Grants Working Group (GWG) as having exceptional scientific merit and a high potential for impact, with all 15 reviewers scoring the application at the highest level.
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