Manchester University has licensed optogenetic gene therapy to Acucela to develop possible treatments for diseases such as Retinitis Pohmentosa, which causes gradual loss of sight.
Manchester University’s commercialisation arm UMIP has signed an exclusive license agreement with US-based biotech firm Acucela for the institution’s optogenetic gene therapy.
Optogenetics is the science of making cells in the body sensitive to light through the use of a light-sensing protein. Acucela specialises in identifying and developing treatments for sight-threatening disease and has licensed the technology to support its treatment plans.
The university’s intellectual property acquired by Acucela aims to treat diseases such as Retinitis Pohmentosa, a rare disorder that causes the gradual loss of sight through the progressive degeneration of the rod photoreceptor cells in the eye that respond to light. There are currently no treatments for the condition on the market.
The potential therapy has been shown by Manchester University to dramatically improve the vision in mice with a model of the disease.
Ryo Kubota, chairman, president and chief executive of Acucela, said: “We are extremely excited to enter into this collaboration with Manchester University and to begin the important development work needed to unlock the potential of optogenetic gene therapy to improve visual function in patients who have lost much of their vision as well as their hope.”
