Retinal Degeneration Fund providing funding to Opus Genetics to support OPGx-MERTK program

(Image Credit: AdobeStock/era)

Opus Genetics, Inc. announced that the company entered into an agreement with the Retinal Degeneration Fund (RD Fund), the venture philanthropy arm of the Foundation Fighting Blindness through which Opus will receive up to $2 million in non-dilutive funding to support the advancement of Opus’s OPGx-MERTK program. Through this program, gene therapies are developed to treat patients with retinitis pigmentosa caused by pathogenic variants in the Mer proto-oncogene tyrosine kinase (MERTK) gene.

George Magrath, MD, who is CEO of Opus Genetics, said, “This strategic funding enables us to advance the development of OPGx-MERTK, a promising program that aims to address a retinal degenerative condition with no currently approved therapies. OPGx-MERTK is currently in preclinical development, and we expect this financial support will allow us to move this asset towards Investigational New Drug enabling studies. We are grateful to the Foundation Fighting Blindness and the RD Fund for their continued partnership as we work to bring meaningful treatments to patients suffering from vision-threatening conditions.”

Mutations in the MERTK gene cause a rod-cone dystrophy with early macular atrophy, with retinitis pigmentosa being the most common phenotype. Opus is developing OPGx-MERTK as a modern adeno-associated virus vector for the treatment of MERTK-associated inherited retinal disease, which affects approximately 600 individuals in the US.

This investment reflects the power of combining venture philanthropy, industry collaboration, and cutting-edge science to deliver meaningful progress for patients. Rusty Kelley, PhD, managing director of the RD Fund, commented, “Our alliance with Opus Genetics leverages the full strength of the Foundation Fighting Blindness community—our donors, mission, and team—alongside the proven expertise of Opus and gene therapy pioneers Drs. Jean Bennett and Tomas Aleman, to accelerate life-changing treatments.”

With the addition of this funding, based on current projections, Opus believes that its cash on hand will now be sufficient to fund operations into the second half of 2026.