Vision fighter: Durham gene therapy startup lands $24.5M with clinical trial underway

DURHAM – Atsena Therapeutics – a clinical-stage gene therapy company that’s fighting to reverse and prevent blindness and recently launched a  clinical trial for a possible treatment, has landed $24.5 million from investors to carry on the battle.

The funding came from 10 investors, according to an SEC filing.

Atsena wants to raise $30 million.

The company raised some $25 million in 2020.

Atsena recently announced that the first patient has been enrolled in a Phase I-II clinical trial for a treatment of a “subretinal injection” that it says can “achieve therapeutic levels of gene expression in photoreceptors of the central retina while avoiding the surgical risks of foveal detachment.”

The treatment is for X-linked retinoschisis, or XLRS. It is a “condition characterized by impaired vision that begins in childhood and occurs almost exclusively in males,” according to MedlinePlus.gov.

More Atsena coverage

Triangle’s gene therapy hub has another rising star: Atsena, targeting blindness

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