ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--RetroSense Therapeutics, a privately-held biopharmaceutical company, today announced that Chief Executive Officer Sean Ainsworth will highlight RetroSense’s contributions to gene therapy research during panel presentations at the NY BIO 2016 Annual Meeting and the Piper Jaffray GenomeRx Symposium.
Chief Executive Officer Sean Ainsworth will participate in the Gene Therapy - Understanding the Complexity & Applications of this New Technology panel at the NY BIO 2016 Annual Meeting to be held at the Time Warner Center in New York City. The panel presentation will take place at 10:45 a.m. EDT on Thursday, May 12, 2016.
Ainsworth also will participate in a panel presentation at the Piper Jaffray Genome RX Symposium at the Intercontinental NY Barclay in New York City. The presentation, entitled Eyes on Gene Therapy for Ophthalmology, will take place at 3:50 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 17, 2016.
RetroSense is developing optogenetic approaches to partial vision restoration in retinitis pigmentosa and potentially dry age-related macular degeneration. The Company’s lead product, RST-001 is being developed as a first-in-class gene therapy application of optogenetics. RST-001 is currently being tested in Phase I/II clinical studies.
About Optogenetics
Optogenetics refers broadly to means of conferring light sensitivity to cells that were not previously, or natively light sensitive. By applying optogenetics to retinas in which rod and cone photoreceptors have degenerated, RetroSense is conferring new light sensitivity to the retina, with the expectation of improved or restored vision. RST-001 is expected to have application to all forms of Retinitis Pigmentosa, independent of causative gene or mutation.
About Retinitis Pigmentosa
Retinitis pigmentosa is a genetic condition which leads to the progressive degeneration of rod and cone photoreceptors (cells found in the retina of the eye that sense light). Loss of these cells results in severe vision loss and blindness.
About RetroSense Therapeutics
RetroSense Therapeutics is a privately-held biotechnology company developing life-enhancing gene therapies designed to restore vision in patients suffering from blindness due to retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and advanced dry age-related macular degeneration (advanced dry-AMD). There are currently no FDA approved drugs to improve or restore vision in patients with these retinal degenerative conditions. The Company's approach to using optogenetics in vision restoration is based on pioneering, proprietary research conducted at Wayne State University and Massachusetts General Hospital. RetroSense has worldwide exclusive rights to the relevant intellectual property from both institutions. RetroSense is led by a team of seasoned veterans with deep experience in taking products from the discovery stage through to the clinic. For more information about RetroSense, visit http://www.retro-sense.com/.