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Cellular Dynamics International launches Opsis Therapeutics to develop retinal disease treatments
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Cellular Dynamics International has launched Opsis Therapeutics, a new project aimed at discovering and developing medicines for patients with retinal diseases, according to a company press release.
CDI, which develops and manufactures induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) products, formed Opsis Therapeutics to focus on researching and manufacturing new retinal disease treatments with a “cross-disciplinary team of internationally recognized advisors and development partners,” the release said. These partners have experience in iPSC manufacture, iPSC differentiation into retinal lineages, retinal cell biology, preclinical modeling of retinal disease and subretinal surgery.
Therapeutic options for retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa will be addressed with a “variety of new approaches” at Opsis Therapeutics, David Gamm, MD, PhD, who partnered with CDI to found the venture, said in the release.
“For example, over the past decade, it has become feasible to generate new photoreceptors from induced pluripotent stem cells and transplant them into the diseased retina, with additional advances anticipated in the future,” Gamm said. “Our goal is to build on this progress, move in a safe yet determined manner toward new therapeutic strategies, and ultimately, to improve the standard of care for patients impacted by retinal diseases.”
Opsis’ therapeutic treatments will be developed in conjunction with CDI’s human leukocyte antigen “haplobanking,” and Opsis will benefit from CDI’s contract with the National Eye Institute and CDI’s development of cells for therapeutic use, according to the press release.