Press Releases

Research Triangle Park, N.C. – Sept. 27, 2022 – Opus Genetics, a patient-first gene therapy company developing treatments for inherited retinal diseases, today announced the appointment of Adrienne Graves, Ph.D., to its board of directors. Dr. Graves is the former CEO of Santen Inc., where she was responsible for growing the company’s global presence and advancing multiple ophthalmic products through development to approval and commercialization.

“On behalf of the Opus team and the board of directors, we welcome Adrienne to our board at this exciting time for the company as we progress our first three programs to address mutations in genes that cause different forms of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) toward the clinic,” said Ben Yerxa, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Opus. “Her nearly three decades of experience as a global executive and board member in the ophthalmology industry will be invaluable to Opus’ clinical and development efforts.”

Prior to Santen, she spent nine years at Alcon in roles of increasing responsibility, including director of International Ophthalmology, and establishing Alcon’s first Retinal Electrophysiology Laboratory. Dr. Graves also currently serves as board chair for the Foundation Fighting Blindness’ Retinal Degeneration (RD) Fund and Iveric Bio, and as a board director for Qlaris Bio, Nicox S.A., Surface Ophthalmics, Oxurion, TherOptix, and Greenbrook TMS, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) Foundation, Glaucoma Research Foundation, American Academy of Ophthalmology Foundation (Emeritus), Retina Global, Himalayan Cataract Project, and the Foundation Fighting Blindness. She earned her Ph.D. in Psychobiology/Neuroscience from the University of Michigan and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Visual Neuroscience at the University of Paris.

“With its roots firmly in the patient community, Opus represents a new kind of company that combines unmatched scientific expertise and a scalable approach designed to bring transformative treatments to patients with inherited retinal diseases. The progress they’ve already made in their preclinical development programs is impressive,” said Dr. Graves. “I’ve dedicated my career to advancing the science and development of therapies to preserve and restore vision, and I look forward to bringing that experience to bear to support the Opus team in the work ahead.”

About Opus Genetics
Opus Genetics is a groundbreaking gene therapy company for inherited retinal diseases with a unique model and purpose. Backed by Foundation Fighting Blindness’s venture arm, the RD Fund, Opus combines unparalleled insight and commitment to patient need with wholly owned programs in numerous orphan retinal diseases. Its AAV-based gene therapy portfolio tackles some of the most neglected forms of inherited blindness while creating novel orphan manufacturing scale and efficiencies. Based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., the company leverages knowledge of the best science and the expertise of pioneers in ocular gene therapy to transparently drive transformative treatments to patients. For more information, visit www.opusgenetics.com.

Media Contact:
Heather Anderson
6 Degrees
919-827-5539
handerson@6degreespr.com

Research Triangle Park, N.C. – September 12, 2022 – Opus Genetics, a patient-first gene therapy company developing treatments for inherited retinal diseases, today announced that Chief Scientific Officer Ash Jayagopal, Ph.D., and Vice President of Clinical Development Erin O’Neil, M.D., will present at the 3rd Annual Gene Therapy for Ophthalmic Disorders meeting taking place September 13-16, 2022, in Boston, Mass.

Details for the presentations are as follows:

Title: Establishing a Sustainable Gene Therapy Pipeline for Inherited Retinal Diseases
Track: Day One, Track B (Clinical Stream)
Date and Time: September 14, 2022, 2:55 p.m. ET
Presenter: Dr. Ash Jayagopal, Opus Chief Scientific Officer

Title: Identifying the Right Endpoints for Your Therapy to Optimize Your Clinical Trials
Track: Day Two, Track B (Clinical Stream)
Date and Time: September 15, 2022, 11:30 a.m. ET
Presenter: Dr. Erin O’Neil, Opus Vice President of Clinical Development and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Physician

In addition, Opus leadership will be attending the PDA/FDA Joint Regulatory Conference taking place September 12-14, 2022, in Washington, D.C., and the American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting taking place September 30-October 3, 2022, in Chicago, Ill.

For more information on Opus’ upcoming events and presentations, click here.

About Opus Genetics
Opus Genetics is a groundbreaking gene therapy company for inherited retinal diseases with a unique model and purpose. Backed by Foundation Fighting Blindness’s venture arm, the RD Fund, Opus combines unparalleled insight and commitment to patient need with wholly owned programs in numerous orphan retinal diseases. Its AAV-based gene therapy portfolio tackles some of the most neglected forms of inherited blindness while creating novel orphan manufacturing scale and efficiencies. Based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., the company leverages knowledge of the best science and the expertise of pioneers in ocular gene therapy to transparently drive transformative treatments to patients. For more information, visit www.opusgenetics.com.

Media Contact:
Heather Anderson
6 Degrees
919-827-5539

handerson@6degreespr.com

Virtual event details Opus’ unique and transparent approach to building company centered on patient need, provides update on lead programs in Leber congenital amaurosis

Research Triangle Park, N.C. – Sept. 1, 2022  – Opus Genetics, a patient-first gene therapy company developing treatments for inherited retinal diseases, today announced the release of the first patient advocacy outreach webinar featuring presentations by Opus leadership Ben Yerxa, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer; Ash Jayagopal, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer; Joe Schachle, Chief Operating Officer; and Jennifer Hunt, Chief Development Officer. The recorded webinar, intended for inherited retinal disease (IRD) patients and their families, provides a corporate overview, program update and information on inherited retinal diseases.

“Opus Genetics is the first-of-its-kind company created by patients, for patients, and an integral component of our unique approach is building a company driven by transparency and trust,” said Dr. Yerxa. “Our commitment to patients extends beyond tackling some of the biggest unmet needs in inherited retinal diseases, to prioritizing patient voices throughout this journey. We are pleased to launch our first patient outreach webinar to share updates on our programs and increase understanding of the debilitating rare diseases that we are addressing. We are dedicated to continuing a dialogue with the patient community to share updates on our work through webinars, and other means, as we advance our pipeline of AAV-based gene therapies for blinding diseases.”

Opus currently has three lead programs being developed to address mutations in genes that cause different forms of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). The webinar highlighted recent and upcoming milestones in each program, including:

• LCA5: Opus is preparing an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to be filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by the end of 2022. The clinical trial will be completed at the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
• RDH12: Preclinical animal studies are ongoing. Opus anticipates filing an IND with the FDA in the second half of 2023.
• NMNAT1: Initial preclinical animal studies showed signs of efficacy and additional preclinical animal studies are to be completed. Opus plans to request a pre-IND meeting with the FDA in 2022 to inform next steps and timing of a clinical trial.

Watch the webinar on Opus’ YouTube channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtFe8ZuFXmM. Opus plans to offer patient webinars twice per year. For patient or family inquiries, please contact patientsupport@opusgtx.com.

About Opus Genetics
Opus Genetics is a groundbreaking gene therapy company for inherited retinal diseases with a unique model and purpose. Backed by Foundation Fighting Blindness’s venture arm, the RD Fund, Opus combines unparalleled insight and commitment to patient need with wholly owned programs in numerous orphan retinal diseases. Its AAV-based gene therapy portfolio tackles some of the most neglected forms of inherited blindness while creating novel orphan manufacturing scale and efficiencies. Based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., the company leverages knowledge of the best science and the expertise of pioneers in ocular gene therapy to transparently drive transformative treatments to patients. For more information, visit www.opusgenetics.com.

Media Contact:
Heather Anderson
6 Degrees
919-827-5539

handerson@6degreespr.com

Vikram Arora, Ph.D., DABT, appointed Vice President of Non-Clinical Development

Erin O’Neil, M.D., appointed Vice President of Clinical Development

Sarah Tuller, J.D., RAC, appointed Vice President of Regulatory and Medical Writing

Research Triangle Park, N.C. – July 21, 2022 – Opus Genetics, a patient-first gene therapy company developing treatments for inherited retinal diseases, today announced the appointments of Vikram Arora, Ph.D., DABT, as Vice President of Non-Clinical Development; Erin O’Neil, M.D., as Vice President of Clinical Development; and Sarah Tuller, J.D., RAC, as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Medical Writing. Dr. Arora will report to Opus Chief Scientific Officer Ash Jayagopal, Ph.D., and Drs. O’Neil and Tuller will report to Opus Chief Development Officer Jennifer Hunt.

“Vik, Erin and Sarah are all seasoned, accomplished leaders in their respective areas of expertise and we welcome them to our growing Opus Genetics team at this exciting time for the company,” said Ben Yerxa, Ph.D., CEO of Opus Genetics. “We envision a new, efficient model to transform the treatment of rare inherited retinal diseases, and these leaders are the tip of the spear for the important work to come as we prepare for our first program to enter the clinic and to continue to develop our pipeline.”

Dr. Arora brings over 20 years of research and development experience in pharmacology and toxicology spanning early drug discovery to IND-enabling non-clinical programs to support global regulatory submissions for commercial therapeutics including Xembify®, Prolastin-C® and HyperRAB®. Dr. Arora joins Opus following 11 years of leadership at Grifols where he led late-stage discovery research and subsequent development aspects of R&D projects, including pharmacology/toxicology, pharmacokinetics and viral safety for candidates in the pipeline. He also acted as the lead non-clinical R&D representative to regulatory agencies. Prior to Grifols, Dr. Arora served as Director of Pharmacology & Toxicology at Talecris Biotherapeutics, Principal Research Scientist at Bayer HealthCare, and Team Leader and Post-Doctoral Fellow at AVI BioPharma (now Sarepta Therapeutics) where he conducted preclinical studies leading to some of the earliest first-in-human trials of antisense-based gene therapies. Dr. Arora is a published investigator and patent holder in the areas of pharmacology, toxicology, genetics, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics. He earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a B.S. in Human Biology from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

“Vik’s deep pharmacology and toxicology experience will be invaluable in advancing Opus assets from inception to IND, and in spearheading the regulatory management of our preclinical programs,” said Dr. Jayagopal. “We’ve assembled an impressive cadre of talent on our scientific team, including recent additions of Director of Gene Therapy Scott Greenwald, Gene Therapy Senior Scientist Mayur Choudhary and Senior Scientific Fellow Krishna Fisher. With the appointment of Vik, we’ve rounded out the scientific foundation to bring forward first-in-class retinal gene therapies.”

Dr. O’Neil also currently serves as Attending Ophthalmologist at the Center for Inherited Retinal Degenerations and Ophthalmic Genetics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where she maintains a clinical affiliation. In this role, she oversees the treatment of pediatric patients with retinal degenerations and ocular manifestations of genetic disease. Dr. O’Neil also served as a principal investigator on a Foundation Fighting Blindness trial optimizing gene therapy for Choroideremia, for which she was awarded the Diana Davis Spencer Clinical Fellowship Award. Prior to her medical career, Dr. O’Neil served in business operations and marketing roles, including a role as Associate Product Marketing Manager at Google. Dr. O’Neil earned her M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, a Postbaccalaureate Premedical Certificate from Bryn Mawr College and a B.A. with a Minor in Economics in International Relations from Pomona College.

Ms. Tuller has over 20 years of experience in regulatory strategy and operations, spanning numerous clinical and commercial-stage products across a wide range of therapeutic indications, including multiple orphan disease programs. She has led or been a part of numerous successful IND, NDA, MAA and BLA applications, including those of Portrazza® in metastatic, squamous NSCLC, Phoslyra® in ESRD, and Avonex Pen® in relapsing MS. Prior to joining Opus, she was Vice President RA at Disc Medicine, and held regulatory leadership positions at Astellas Pharma, where she supported the ophthalmology gene therapy, mitochondrial diseases, and regenerative (cell) medicinal product franchises, as well as prior appointments of increasing regulatory responsibility at companies including Biogen, ImClone, Fresenius, and Baxter. She earned her J.D. in IP law from the University of Dayton School of Law, holds a B.S. in Chemistry, and is RAC certified.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Erin and Sarah to the Opus development team,” said Ms. Hunt. “Opus’ goal is to maintain a steady clinical pace and file one IND per year. With her inherited retinal disease gene therapy clinical development and patient care experience, Erin is well suited to lead Opus’ clinical program development. Combined with Sarah’s background in clinical regulatory affairs and impressive track record of shepherding successful IND fillings, we have the development team leadership in place to expeditiously bring our programs through the clinic and to patients in need.”

About Opus Genetics
Opus Genetics is a groundbreaking gene therapy company for inherited retinal diseases with a unique model and purpose. Backed by Foundation Fighting Blindness’s venture arm, the RD Fund, Opus combines unparalleled insight and commitment to patient need with wholly owned programs in numerous orphan retinal diseases. Its AAV-based gene therapy portfolio tackles some of the most neglected forms of inherited blindness while creating novel orphan manufacturing scale and efficiencies. Based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., the company leverages knowledge of the best science and the expertise of pioneers in ocular gene therapy to transparently drive transformative treatments to patients. For more information, visit www.opusgenetics.com.

Media Contact:
Heather Anderson
6 Degrees
919-827-5539

handerson@6degreespr.com

Research Triangle Park, N.C. – July 11, 2022 – Opus Genetics, a patient-first gene therapy company developing treatments for inherited retinal diseases, today announced that Ben Yerxa, Ph.D., president and CEO of Opus, will present at the Ophthalmology Innovation Source (OIS) Retina Innovation Summit 2022 on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, in New York.

Dr. Yerxa will deliver a company overview as part of the Innovation Showcase to discuss Opus’ unique model of combining validated science and commitment to patient need with wholly owned programs in inherited retinal diseases. Dr. Yerxa will also highlight Opus’ lead AAV-based gene therapy programs being developed to address mutations in genes that cause different forms of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA).

“We’re honored to be selected to participate in the OIS Innovation Showcase and highlight Opus’ patient-first, science-driven approach and pipeline of AAV-based gene therapy programs,” said Dr. Yerxa. “Opus’ mission is to build an engine to accelerate multiple rare genetic retinal disease therapeutics into the clinic and ultimately to the patients who need them. We look forward to providing an update on our LCA programs approaching clinical stage in the near-term, as well as our long-term approach to addressing additional genetic targets across the broad spectrum of inherited retinal diseases.”

The OIS Retina Innovation Summit brings together entrepreneurs, ophthalmic start-up companies, clinical thought leaders, industry executives and investment professionals for a day-long summit showcasing novel therapies in development for ophthalmic diseases and vision disorders. For more information, visit https://ois.net/ois-retina-innovation-summit-2022/.

About Opus Genetics
Opus Genetics is a groundbreaking gene therapy company for inherited retinal diseases with a unique model and purpose. Backed by Foundation Fighting Blindness’s venture arm, the RD Fund, Opus combines unparalleled insight and commitment to patient need with wholly owned programs in numerous orphan retinal diseases. Its AAV-based gene therapy portfolio tackles some of the most neglected forms of inherited blindness while creating novel orphan manufacturing scale and efficiencies. Based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., the company leverages knowledge of the best science and the expertise of pioneers in ocular gene therapy to transparently drive transformative treatments to patients. For more information, visit www.opusgenetics.com.

Media Contact:
Heather Anderson

6 Degrees
919-827-5539
handerson@6degreespr.com

Industry veteran and experienced CEO will continue to lead the company as its AAV-based gene therapies for inherited retinal diseases approach the clinic

Research Triangle Park, N.C. – June 21, 2022 – Opus Genetics, a patient-first gene therapy company developing treatments for inherited retinal diseases, today announced the appointment of Ben Yerxa, Ph.D., as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Dr. Yerxa previously served as acting CEO of Opus, in addition to former roles as CEO of the Foundation Fighting Blindness and the Retinal Degeneration (RD) Fund, the venture arm of the Foundation focused on making venture philanthropy investments to further the Foundation’s mission of accelerating research for preventing, treating and curing blinding diseases.

Opus is the first spin-off company internally conceived and launched by the RD Fund, and combines unparalleled insight and commitment to patient need with wholly owned AAV-based gene therapy programs in inherited retinal diseases, while creating novel manufacturing scale and efficiencies tailored for producing rare disease therapeutics.

“I’m exceptionally proud of the progress we’ve made toward our mission during my nearly five years at the Foundation, including the launch of the RD Fund to further the Foundation’s mission through venture philanthropy,” said Dr. Yerxa. “Stepping into the permanent CEO role at Opus Genetics – a company that we created and launched through the RD Fund – enables me to be on the front line of bringing potentially life-changing treatments to the patients who so urgently need them.”

Dr. Yerxa continued, “More than 280 genes are known to cause inherited retinal diseases, and it’s estimated that over 180,000 patients are waiting for treatments for their individual genetic conditions. Opus is combining the best instruments of science with patient need to grow and advance our pipeline of AAV-based gene therapies for inherited retinal diseases, and I’m pleased to continue leading the Opus team in this important work.”

Dr. Yerxa has more than 25 years’ experience in biotechnology, nonprofit and drug development and in translating promising research discoveries into clinical milestones and commercial launches in the ophthalmology, pulmonary, rare disease, cardiovascular and HIV fields. He has been involved with the discovery and development of nine investigational new drugs, four Phase 3 clinical programs, two new drug applications and two drug approvals. Prior to joining the Foundation, Dr. Yerxa served as president and co-founder of Envisia Therapeutics, a company focused on developing novel ocular sustained delivery therapies for the front and back of the eye. He also has previously held founding and executive positions in several ophthalmology-based R&D organizations, including Liquidia Technologies, Clearside Biomedical, Parion Sciences and Inspire Pharmaceuticals.

“Opus is entering a pivotal time in its evolution as our first program, OPGx-001 to address mutations in the LCA5 gene, is expected to enter the clinic this year, bringing a potential treatment another step closer to patients in need,” said Jean Bennett, M.D., Ph.D., Opus scientific founder, board director and scientific advisory board member. “As a founder of the RD Fund and Opus, Ben is uniquely well-suited to realize Opus’ potential to tackle some of the most neglected forms of inherited blindness and make a real difference in the lives of patients.”

Dr. Yerxa holds 60 U.S. patents and is an inventor of DIQUAS™, an innovative treatment for dry eye approved in Japan. Dr. Yerxa earned his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from University of California, Irvine, and BA in chemistry from the University of California, San Diego.

About Opus Genetics
Opus Genetics is a groundbreaking gene therapy company for inherited retinal diseases with a unique model and purpose. Backed by Foundation Fighting Blindness’s venture arm, the RD Fund, Opus combines unparalleled insight and commitment to patient need with wholly owned programs in numerous orphan retinal diseases. Its AAV-based gene therapy portfolio tackles some of the most neglected forms of inherited blindness while creating novel orphan manufacturing scale and efficiencies. Based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., the company leverages knowledge of the best science and the expertise of pioneers in ocular gene therapy to transparently drive transformative treatments to patients. For more information, visit www.opusgenetics.com.

Media Contact:
Heather Anderson

6 Degrees
919-827-5539
handerson@6degreespr.com

Biopharma clinical development veteran to propel Opus’ AAV-based gene therapies for inherited retinal diseases toward patients

Research Triangle Park, N.C. – May 11, 2022 – Opus Genetics, a patient-focused gene therapy company developing treatments for inherited retinal diseases, today announced the appointment of Jennifer Hunt as Chief Development Officer (CDO). In this role, Hunt will lead clinical development and regulatory affairs, responsible for progressing and expanding Opus’ AAV-based gene therapy pipeline which currently includes preclinical candidates OPGx-001, OPGx-002 and OPGx-003 to address forms of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) due to mutations of LCA5, RDH12 and NMNAT1 genes, respectively.

“We’re pleased to welcome Jennifer at this exciting time for Opus, as we build out the team that will be foundational to realizing our mission to efficiently advance therapies for inherited retinal diseases,” Ben Yerxa, Ph.D., CEO of the Foundation Fighting Blindness and the Retinal Degeneration Fund, and acting CEO of Opus. “Jennifer’s deep clinical development background and experience overseeing trials in rare diseases and LCA will be instrumental as we progress our current programs toward the patients that need these therapies.”

Hunt brings over 25 years of drug development experience to Opus, with specific expertise in global clinical operations, product development and program management in biologics, small molecules, gene editing and gene therapy. Prior to joining Opus, she held key clinical and regulatory positions at several biopharmaceutical companies, including Genzyme, Voyager Therapeutics and Editas Medicine. While at Editas, she oversaw the development of CRISPR medicines across ophthalmology, hemoglobinopathies and oncology, including Editas’ gene therapy to restore vision loss in patients with LCA type 10, the first in-vivo CRISPR IND ever accepted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“I am inspired by Opus’ passionate commitment to patient need,” said Hunt. “Opus is in a strong position to advance multiple therapies for inherited retinal diseases. I’m looking forward to leveraging my experience to tackle some of the most neglected forms of inherited blindness and make a difference in the lives of patients.”

Hunt earned a B.S. in Biology from State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse and a M.S. in Management from Lesley University.

About Opus Genetics

Opus Genetics is a groundbreaking gene therapy company for inherited retinal diseases with a unique model and purpose. Backed by Foundation Fighting Blindness’s venture arm, the RD Fund, Opus combines unparalleled insight and commitment to patient need with wholly owned programs in numerous orphan retinal diseases. Its AAV-based gene therapy portfolio tackles some of the most neglected forms of inherited blindness while creating novel orphan manufacturing scale and efficiencies. Based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., the company leverages knowledge of the best science and the expertise of pioneers in ocular gene therapy to transparently drive transformative treatments to patients. For more information, visit www.opusgenetics.com.

Media Contact:
Heather Anderson
6 Degrees
919-827-5539
handerson@6degreespr.com

Retinal regions of preserved photoreceptors identified as targets for subretinal delivery of AAV8-based gene therapy to address mutations in genes that cause forms of Leber congenital amaurosis

Subretinal injection well tolerated in preclinical dose-ranging studies

Data presented at Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting 2022 

Research Triangle Park, N.C. – May 4, 2022 – Opus Genetics, a patient-focused gene therapy company developing treatments for inherited retinal diseases, today announced promising new preclinical data from studies evaluating the potential of its gene therapies OPGx-001 and OPGx-002 to address forms of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a group of rare inherited retinal diseases characterized by photoreceptor degeneration, due to mutations of LCA5 or RDH12 genes, respectively.

In preparation for IND-enabling trials of OPGx-001 and OPGx-002, studies were conducted to determine eligibility, therapeutic window, and possible outcome measures for gene therapy for LCA5 and RDH12 inherited retinal diseases. In addition, safety evaluations for the subretinal delivery of an AAV8 vector containing LCA5 or RDH12 were performed in non-human primates (NHP).

The data demonstrated that despite severe retinal dysfunction, LCA patients exhibited detectable photoreceptor regions that may be targets for gene augmentation, identified in the central and midperipheral retina of LCA5-LCA patients and in the pericentral and peripapillary retina of RDH12-LCA patients. In two dose-ranging studies in NHPs, subretinal delivery of OPGx-001 and OPGx-002 was well tolerated, with mild inflammatory changes observed at the higher dose. The data support the therapeutic potential and tolerability of gene augmentation to address LCA5-LCA and RDH12-LCA and provide guidance for formal preclinical toxicology studies and future human clinical trials.

“Patients with Leber congenital amaurosis due to mutations of the LCA5 or RDH12 genes experience rapid retinal degeneration, resulting in vision loss in early childhood,” said Ash Jayagopal, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Opus. “The detection of preserved photoreceptors in LCA patients signals a therapeutic opportunity to target the mutation and potentially restore structure and function through gene augmentation. In addition, the encouraging dose-ranging results in the primate model suggest subretinal delivery of Opus’ AAV8-based gene therapies are safe and inform the doses to be used in our toxicology studies, a key step on our path toward the clinic for OPGx-001 and OPGx-002.”

The data were presented today at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting 2022 in Denver, Colo., by Jean Bennett, M.D., Ph.D., Scientific Co-founder, Opus Genetics, and University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine; and Tomas Aleman, M.D., University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

Also at ARVO 2022, Dr. Jayagopal was awarded the title of ARVO Fellow, an honor established to recognize current ARVO members for their individual accomplishments, leadership and contributions to the ARVO Association.

About Opus Genetics

Opus Genetics is a groundbreaking gene therapy company for inherited retinal diseases with a unique model and purpose. Backed by Foundation Fighting Blindness’s venture arm, the RD Fund, Opus combines unparalleled insight and commitment to patient need with wholly owned programs in numerous retinal diseases. Its AAV-based gene therapy portfolio tackles some of the most neglected forms of inherited blindness while creating novel manufacturing scale and efficiencies. Based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., the company leverages knowledge of the best science and the expertise of pioneers in ocular gene therapy to transparently drive transformative treatments to patients. For more information, visit www.opusgenetics.com.

Media Contact:
Heather Anderson
6 Degrees
919-827-5539
handerson@6degreespr.com

Data support the continued development of OPGx-001 and OPGx-002 to address mutations in genes causing forms of Leber congenital amaurosis

Raleigh, N.C. – April 28, 2022 – Opus Genetics, a patient-focused gene therapy company developing treatments for inherited retinal diseases, today announced that data from two preclinical studies evaluating the potential of its gene therapies OPGx-001 and OPGx-002 to address forms of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) due to mutations of LCA5 or RDH12 genes, respectively, will be presented in poster sessions at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting 2022, being held May 1-4, 2022, virtually and in Denver, Colo.

Details of the presentations are as follows:

Title: Preparation for a Gene Therapy Trial for LCA5-Associated Retinal Degenerations: Treatment Potential in Patients and Dose-ranging Studies in Non-human Primates

Session: Novel Animal Models and Neuroprotection in the Retina

Location: Virtual webcast

Date / time: Wednesday, May 4, 2022, 12:30-2:30 p.m. MDT

Presenter: Jean Bennett, M.D., Ph.D., Scientific Co-founder, Opus Genetics; Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

 

Title: Preparation for a Gene Augmentation Trial for RDH12-Associated Retinal Degenerations

Session: Retinal Degenerations, Gene Therapy, Transplantation, and Prostheses

Location: F0299, Denver Convention Center

Date / time: Wednesday, May 4, 2022, 3-5 p.m. MDT

Presenter: Tomas Aleman, M.D., Center for Advanced Retinal and Ocular Therapeutics (CAROT), Scheie Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

The ARVO Annual Meeting is the premiere gathering for eye and vision scientists to share the latest research findings and collaborate on innovative solutions. For more information, visit https://www.arvo.org/annual-meeting/.

In addition, Ash Jayagopal, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Opus Genetics, will present a company overview, titled “Opus Genetics, a patient-centric biotech committed to developing ultrarare IRD therapies,” at the Foundation Fighting Blindness’ 7th Annual Retinal Cell and Gene Therapy Innovation Summit on Friday, April 29, 2022, at 10:20 a.m. MDT, in Denver, Colo. The annual summit, held prior to the ARVO Annual Meeting, features presentations by leading retinal disease experts on potential gene and stem-cell therapies and how best to deliver them to patients. For more information, visit https://www.fightingblindness.org/events/innovation-summit-2022-372.

About Opus Genetics

Opus Genetics is a groundbreaking gene therapy company for inherited retinal diseases with a unique model and purpose. Backed by Foundation Fighting Blindness’s venture arm, the RD Fund, Opus combines unparalleled insight and commitment to patient need with wholly owned programs in numerous retinal diseases. Its AAV-based gene therapy portfolio tackles some of the most neglected forms of inherited blindness while creating novel manufacturing scale and efficiencies. Based in Raleigh, N.C., the company leverages knowledge of the best science and the expertise of pioneers in ocular gene therapy to transparently drive transformative treatments to patients. For more information, visit www.opusgenetics.com.

Media Contact:
Heather Anderson
919-827-5539

handerson@6degreespr.com

 Opus’ first-in-human trials to begin in 2022

Raleigh, N.C. – April 11, 2022 – Opus Genetics, a patient-focused gene therapy company developing treatments for inherited retinal diseases, today announced a strategic manufacturing services agreement with National Resilience, Inc. (Resilience), a technology-focused biomanufacturing company dedicated to broadening access to complex medicines, to support the development and manufacturing of Opus’ pipeline.

Resilience will provide process and analytical development, quality control testing, and GMP manufacturing services for IND-enabling toxicology and first-in-human material for Opus’ adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector-based gene therapies for inherited retinal diseases (IRD) for use in both preclinical studies, and future clinical trials in the U.S. The work will be conducted at Resilience’s facilities in Waltham, Mass., and Research Triangle Park, N.C.

“Resilience embraces our innovative model to create a clinical manufacturing infrastructure that’s scaled to address rare inherited retinal diseases, and we are pleased to enter into this strategic collaboration,” said Ben Yerxa, Ph.D., CEO of the Foundation Fighting Blindness and the Retinal Degeneration Fund, and acting CEO of Opus. “Leveraging Resilience’s expertise puts Opus in the best position to efficiently advance our AAV-based gene therapies into the clinic and toward the patients who need them.”

“Helping Opus advance their gene therapies for inherited retinal diseases to the clinic will hopefully lead to new treatments for underserved patients,” said Rahul Singhvi, ScD, Chief Executive Officer of Resilience. “We’re excited to partner with Opus on process development and manufacturing at this pivotal time for the company.”

Opus’s lead program, OPGx-001, is designed to address mutations in the LCA5 gene, which encodes the lebercilin protein. Opus anticipates filing an IND and entering first-in-human trials with OPGx-001 this year. Opus’ earlier stage programs include OPGx-002, to restore protein expression and halting functional deterioration in patients with retinal dystrophy caused by mutations in the retinal dehydrogenase (RDH12) gene, and OPGx-003, a gene augmentation therapy designed to halt functional deterioration in pediatric patients with retinal degenerative disease caused by mutations in the nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase 1 (NMNAT1) gene.

About Opus Genetics

Opus Genetics is a groundbreaking gene therapy company for inherited retinal diseases with a unique model and purpose. Backed by Foundation Fighting Blindness’s venture arm, the RD Fund, Opus combines unparalleled insight and commitment to patient need with wholly owned programs in numerous retinal diseases. Its AAV-based gene therapy portfolio tackles some of the most neglected forms of inherited blindness while creating novel manufacturing scale and efficiencies. Based in Raleigh, N.C., the company leverages knowledge of the best science and the expertise of pioneers in ocular gene therapy to transparently drive transformative treatments to patients. For more information, visit www.opusgenetics.com.

Media Contact:
Heather Anderson
919-827-5539
handerson@6degreespr.com