With $19 million in seed funding led by the Retinal Degeneration Fund, Opus Genetics launched with a mission to develop gene therapies for rare forms of blindness driven by genetic mutations.

Novartis

Novartis is expanding the Swiss pharma giant’s optogenetics portfolio with the acquisition of gene therapy company Arctos Medical.

Retinal tissue was regrown in three patients with age-related macular degeneration with geographic atrophy or dry (atrophic) AMD in a Phase I/IIa study conducted by Lineage Cell Therapeutics.

The Children’s Eye Foundation of AAPOS unveiled the world’s first interactive children’s book to help screen for color vision deficiency (CVD), commonly known as color blindness. The foundation posted a free digital version of THE CURIOUS EYE at thecuriouseye.org and published a first-run, hardcover book for its member pediatric ophthalmologists.

Biogen reported that the company’s gene therapy, cotoretigene toliparvovec, failed to hit the primary endpoint of the Phase II/III XIRIUS trial for X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP).

For the first time, researchers tested CRISPR gene editing inside a person’s body. Allergan and Editas Medicine treated the first patient in the BRILLIANCE clinical trial of AGN-151587 at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Casey Eye Institute. The therapy is being tested for treatment of Leber congenital amaurosis 10 (LCA10), an inherited type of blindness caused by mutations in the centrosomal protein 290 (CEP290) gene.

Novartis launched an external review into the safety of the company’s blindness medicine Beovu after the American Society of Retinal Specialists (ASRS) raised concerns.

Swiss pharma giant Roche’s 10-month journey to complete the acquisition of the gene therapy company Spark Therapeutics was finalized.

The Federal Trade Commission staff reviewing Roche’s plan to buy U.S.-based gene therapy specialist Spark Therapeutics for $4.3 billion recommended that the deal be approved without requiring any asset sales, the Capitol Forum reported.

Novartis received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the Swiss pharmaceuticals company’s drug Beovu to treat a cause of vision loss.