Opus Genetics, a Penn startup based on technology developed by Jean Bennett, MD, PhD, the F.M. Kirby Emeritus Professor of Ophthalmology at the Perelman School of Medicine, and colleagues, was recently acquired by Ocuphire Pharma, a clinical-stage, biotechnology company. Opus developed a number of Penn technologies for the treatment of inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), including OPGx-LCA5 for the treatment of Leber congenital amaurosis resulting from mutations in the LCA5 gene, and two technologies (co-owned by Penn and the University of Florida) targeting autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa caused by RHO mutations and inherited retinal conditions caused by mutations in BEST1, including Best disease, a form of macular degeneration.
The merger between Opus and Ocuphire creates a transformative biotech company, renamed Opus Genetics, Inc, which is committed to serving as a leader in the development of gene therapies for the treatment of IRDs. Read more here.