RayThera Raises $110M to Propel Atsena’s Revolutionary Gene Therapy for Inherited Blindness

Atsena Therapeutics, a pioneering clinical-stage gene therapy company, is thrilled to announce the successful closing of a $110 million funding round, demonstrating robust investor confidence in its innovative approach to combating inherited forms of blindness. The significant capital influx will power the advancement of Atsena’s cutting-edge research and development programs, including its two clinical-stage assets: ATSN-201 for X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS) and ATSN-101 for GUCY2D-associated Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA1). ATSN-201, which harnesses the company’s novel spreading capsid AAV.SPR, is currently under evaluation in the Phase I/II LIGHTHOUSE clinical trial, targeting improvement in the visual outcomes for XLRS patients. Meanwhile, promising interim safety and efficacy data from ongoing trials for ATSN-101 indicate that the treatment is well tolerated, with patients experiencing clinically meaningful enhancements in vision as early as 12 months post-treatment. The new funds will also bolster the development of ATSN-301, Atsena’s proprietary dual AAV vector-based gene therapy aimed at preventing blindness associated with MYO7A-linked Usher syndrome (USH1B). Founded by ocular gene therapy trailblazers Dr. Shannon Boye and Sanford Boye from the University of Florida, Atsena is located in North Carolina’s Research Triangle—a vibrant hub of gene therapy expertise and collaboration. This milestone funding not only accelerates the company’s mission to revolutionize treatments for genetic blindness but also underscores the tremendous potential of its therapeutic pipeline to transform the lives of patients suffering from devastating vision loss.