Beacon Therapeutics Raises $120M in Funding

Beacon Therapeutics, a UK-based ophthalmic gene therapy company, has raised $120 million in funding led by Syncona Limited, with participation from Oxford Science Enterprises. The funds will be used to advance the company's pipeline of gene therapies for retinal diseases, including its lead candidate AGTC-501, which is in Phase II clinical trials for XLRP. The company also has a pre-clinical program targeting cone-rod dystrophy (CRD). Beacon Therapeutics was founded in 2023 and is based in Oxford, UK, with additional facilities in Boston, Massachusetts, and Alachua, Florida, US.

Beacon Therapeutics Secures $120 Million to Advance Ophthalmic Gene Therapy Pipeline

Beacon Therapeutics is an ophthalmic gene therapy company founded in 2023 to restore and improve the vision of patients with a range of prevalent and rare retinal diseases that result in blindness. Its lead development candidate AGTC-501, is a gene therapy program in Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of XLRP, an inherited monogenic recessive disorder that causes progressive vision loss in boys and young men. XLRP is predominantly caused by mutations in the retinitis pigmentosa GTPase regulator (RPGR) gene. AGTC-501 expresses the full length RPGR protein, thereby addressing the full complement of photoreceptor damage caused by XLRP, including both rod and cone loss. The company's second pre-clinical asset is targeting cone-rod dystrophy (CRD) which is caused by a null mutation in the Cadherin Related Family Member 1 (CDHR1) gene. The program has been licensed from the laboratory of Professor Robert MacLaren, Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford. Prof. MacLaren, a retinal expert and an experienced biotech company founder and a Co-Founder of Beacon Therapeutics, will become a key scientific advisor to the company and will join the board of directors. The company has a new location in London, UK, complementing existing facilities in Boston, Massachusetts and Alachua, Florida, US.

Beacon Therapeutics is an ophthalmic gene therapy company focused on restoring vision for patients with retinal diseases.

2 years ago

Beacon Therapeutics Secures $120 Million to Advance Ophthalmic Gene Therapy Pipeline

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