Ray Therapeutics receives $8M grant from CIRM to advance optogenetic gene therapy for Stargardt disease.
Oct 01, 2026
San FranciscoBiotechnologyHealth CareScience And Engineering
Description
Ray Therapeutics, a Berkeley-based biopharmaceutical company, received an $8 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). The funds will support advancement of the Phase 1/2 clinical trial and manufacturing activities for RTx-021, an optogenetic gene therapy designed to restore vision in patients with Stargardt disease. Ray Therapeutics develops bioengineered, light-sensitive proteins delivered via intravitreal injection to improve visual function in retinal degenerative diseases. The company is led by CEO Paul Bresge.
Company Information
Company
Ray Therapeutics
Location
3625 Dudley Street
San Francisco, California, United States
About
Ray Therapeutics Inc (RayTx) is a late-stage preclinical Bay Area biotechnology company pioneering the first-to-market precision optogenetic therapy for vision restoration that is highly active in ambient lighting (and will not require light-enhancing goggles). Our studies have shown for the first time that our proprietary ChRown optogenetic protein can restore high levels of visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and visual field.
RayTx lead asset, RTx-015, is expected to address the huge unmet medical in people suffering from many forms of retinal blindness (independent of the underlying genetic cause), including those with advanced age-related macular degeneration. RayTx has partnered with a world-leading AAV gene therapy manufacturer is utilizing their proprietary commercial manufacturing process and analytics to maximally de-risk clinical development. RayTx anticipates clinical trials will begin by the end of 2023 in our initial indication, retinitis pigmentosa.
San FranciscoBiotechnologyHealth CareScience And Engineering