Opus Genetics Sponsors Uni-Rare Natural History Study for People with Inherited Retinal Diseases

Opus Genetics announced the company will co-sponsor the Uni-Rare Study, a new natural history study for approximately 1,500 people with mutations in one of more than 300 rare genes associated with inherited retinal diseases (IRDs).

The two-part Uni-Rare Study is being launched to characterize the course of retinal degeneration and vision loss for people with these rare genetic mutations, as well as inform the design of future clinical trials and assist in trial recruitment. The study will be conducted by the Foundation Fighting Blindness Clinical Consortium, a global, 40-site network of clinical research centers prepared to launch IRD clinical trials and natural history studies, with the Jaeb Center for Health Research to serve as the coordinating center.

“Opus is building a strong portfolio of programs focused on treating genetic mutations that cause inherited retinal diseases. The natural history data collected as part of the Foundation’s Uni-Rare Study, a first of its kind in retinal diseases, will be critical to the future research and development of new therapies for inherited retinal diseases. Opus’ second program, OPGx-002, is focused on restoring protein expression and halting functional deterioration in patients with retinal dystrophy caused by mutations in the retinal dehydrogenase (RDH12) gene, which is one of the genetic mutations that currently qualifies for the advanced portion of the Uni-Rare study,” Jennifer Hunt, Chief Development Officer, said in a company news release. “We’re proud to join with other leading ophthalmology organizations in supporting this important step forward to accelerate our understanding and development of new treatments for inherited retinal diseases.”

For more information on the Uni-Rare Study, please read the Foundation’s press release or visit www.clinicaltrials.gov.