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PulseSight Therapeutics launches with focus on non-viral gene therapies

Key Takeaways

  • PulseSight Therapeutics has launched with a focus on non-viral gene therapies for retinal disease. 
  • PulseSight plans to advance therapies for wet and dry age-related macular degeneration.

Most gene therapies under development involve the use of a harmless virus, but virus-based therapies have limitations, including size limits on the genetic cargo that can be delivered.  PulseSight Therapeutics has launched with a focus on developing non-viral gene therapies for retinal diseases. “PulseSight is developing highly promising compounds that have the potential to overcome the limitations of current treatments for wet [age-related macular degeneration] and viral gene therapies under development, with strong efficacy while reducing the burden of administration,” Judith Greciet, CEO of PulseSight, told Healio. 

PST-809, a potential first-in-class therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and PulseSight’s lead candidate, has shown “superior” efficacy to eye injections of the anti-VEGF drug aflibercept in reducing vascular leakage and promoting retinal pigment epithelium wound healing in preclinical (animal) studies. (The retinal pigment epithelium is the pigmented cell layer just outside the neurosensory retina that nourishes retinal visual cells. It is damaged in AMD.) A second program involves PST-611 for geographic atrophy in late-stage dry AMD, with beneficial effects seen in preclinical experiments in various disease models.

“Our data demonstrate a sustained effect for at least 6 months; however, it is reversible and allows a switch-off strategy, which is key for AMD patients to best adjust the treatment to their needs,” Greciet said. “In addition, the chosen therapeutic proteins encoded in each plasmid acts on multiple pathological pathways, leading to strong efficacy in these two forms of AMD. Therefore, we believe that PulseSight’s programs have the potential to become real game changers in this field.” PulseSight is actively fundraising to enable the programs to move as quickly as possible into clinical trials.

Edited by Miriam Kaplan, PhD

Source: Anthony DeFino, Healio Ocular Surgery News, February 29, 2024; see source article