The startup develops gene therapy solutions for retinal diseases and rare ophthalmic conditions using proprietary AAV vectors for targeted, cell-type specific delivery. Their toolkit enables healthcare professionals to administer gene treatments through a minimally invasive intravitreal approach, allowing for reduced dosages and improved patient outcomes.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Current gene therapies for retinal diseases face challenges in effectively delivering therapeutic genes to specific retinal cells. Existing viral vector technologies have limitations in targeting key cell types and often require invasive surgical procedures.
Solution
Avista Therapeutics develops innovative gene therapies for retinal diseases and rare ophthalmic conditions, utilizing its computationally guided scAAVengr platform to generate and validate proprietary adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors. The scAAVengr platform leverages single-cell RNA sequencing to identify AAV vectors suitable for delivering gene therapy to specific parts of the retina. This technology enables targeted gene delivery to individual retinal cell types through a minimally invasive intravitreal approach, potentially reducing dosages and improving patient outcomes. The company's quantitative, in vivo-based approach and clinical ophthalmology expertise facilitate the rapid translation of new gene therapies to the clinic.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes individuals with retinal diseases and rare ophthalmic conditions, as well as healthcare professionals specializing in gene therapy and ophthalmology.
Features
- Computationally guided scAAVengr platform for rapid identification and validation of AAV vectors
- Single-cell RNA sequencing to identify AAV vectors suitable for specific retinal cells
- Proprietary AAV vectors for targeted gene delivery
- Minimally invasive intravitreal delivery approach
- Potential for reduced dosages compared to existing methods
- In vivo-based approach for quantitative validation of novel cell-specific AAVs