RhyGaze develops an AAV‑based gene‑therapy platform that delivers optogenetic proteins to retinal cells, restoring light sensitivity and visual signaling in patients with photoreceptor loss. The single‑dose intravitreal injection is designed for outpatient use and targets a range of inherited or acquired retinal degenerations, enabling ophthalmologists to offer functional vision improvement where existing treatments cannot restore sight.
Funding
$97.9M raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
Many patients with retinal diseases lose vision because the photoreceptor cells in the eye can no longer convert light into electrical signals for the brain. Existing treatments cannot restore this fundamental light‑sensing function, leaving a large unmet need for vision restoration.
Solution
RhyGaze is developing a gene‑therapy platform that introduces optogenetic proteins into retinal cells, granting them new photosensitivity. By using viral vectors to deliver the light‑sensing machinery directly to target cells, the approach aims to re‑enable the eye’s ability to detect light and transmit visual information to the brain. The technology builds on research from the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel and leverages expertise from teams that helped bring the first FDA‑approved ocular gene therapy to market. RhyGaze’s program focuses on delivering a single, minimally invasive injection that could provide lasting functional vision improvement for patients with inherited or acquired retinal degeneration.
Target Audience
Primary customers are ophthalmologists and retinal specialists treating patients with advanced retinal degenerative diseases, as well as clinical research organizations conducting gene‑therapy trials.
Features
- Optogenetic proteins engineered to confer light sensitivity to mammalian retinal cells
- AAV‑based gene‑therapy vectors optimized for efficient, cell‑type specific delivery in the human eye
- Single‑dose intravitreal injection designed for outpatient administration
- Preclinical data supporting functional restoration of visual signaling pathways
- Platform adaptable to multiple retinal disease indications where photoreceptor loss is primary