Prime Highlights:
Dr. Katherine High, co-founder of Spark Therapeutics, is now CEO of RhyGaze.
RhyGaze, focused on gene therapies for blindness, has raised $86 million in Series A funding.
The company’s lead candidate is based on optogenetics, a technology to restore vision.
Key Background:
Dr. Katherine High, a prominent figure in gene therapy, has returned to lead a new venture, RhyGaze, as its CEO. This marks her first major role after leaving Spark Therapeutics nearly five years ago. Spark Therapeutics, co-founded by Dr. High, was a trailblazer in gene therapy, developing Luxturna, the first FDA-approved gene therapy for an inherited retinal disease that causes blindness. Spark was later acquired by Roche for $4.8 billion in 2019.
RhyGaze, established in 2024 in Basel, Switzerland, with a dual presence in Philadelphia, aims to continue Dr. High’s focus on innovative gene therapies for vision restoration. The company recently completed a Series A financing round, raising $86 million, with backing from investors such as Google Ventures, Arch Venture Partners, F-Prime Capital, BioGeneration Ventures, and Novartis Venture Fund.
RhyGaze’s lead project is a gene therapy based on optogenetics, a cutting-edge technique combining genetic modification with light-based control of neuronal activity. This approach holds potential for treating vision loss caused by retinal diseases, an area in which Dr. High has extensive experience. Before Spark’s acquisition, Dr. High played a pivotal role in advancing gene therapy for inherited blindness.
The venture capital funds will be used for preclinical studies, including pharmacology and toxicology tests, to evaluate the therapy’s potential clinical applications. RhyGaze is preparing for its first human clinical trial, which will assess the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of its lead candidate.
Dr. High expressed optimism about the company’s prospects, stating that the work at RhyGaze, built on pioneering research from the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB), could lead to breakthrough treatments for blindness. Currently, RhyGaze operates with nearly 20 employees, though details about its Philadelphia office remain undisclosed. As the company moves forward, it aims to build on its innovative platform to address critical needs in the field of vision restoration.