DURHAM, N.C., Jan. 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Atsena Therapeutics, a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on bringing the life-changing power of genetic medicine to reverse or prevent blindness, today announced the initiation of Part B of the LIGHTHOUSE study, a Phase I/II clinical trial evaluating subretinal injection of ATSN-201 for the treatment of X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS). ATSN-201, a best-in-class gene therapy product candidate, leverages AAV.SPR, the company’s novel spreading capsid, to achieve therapeutic levels of gene expression in photoreceptors of the central retina while avoiding the surgical risks of foveal detachment.
“We are pleased to initiate Part B of the LIGHTHOUSE study of ATSN-201 following successful enrollment and dosing of Part A. The functional and structural improvements seen in Part A validate our novel AAV.SPR spreading capsid,” said Patrick Ritschel, Chief Executive Officer of Atsena Therapeutics. “Importantly, Part B will enroll both adult and pediatric participants. The Rare Pediatric Disease designation granted for ATSN-201 highlights the unmet need for a treatment, and we remain focused on advancing a therapeutic option for these patients.”
Part A of the study evaluated the safety and tolerability of three different doses of ATSN-201 administered through subretinal injection. After reviewing early safety data from Part A, the Data Monitoring Committee has recommended proceeding to Part B using 1.0E11 vg/mL, a concentration that offered the optimal balance of tolerability and efficacy based on preliminary clinical results. Part B is a multicenter clinical trial that will evaluate nine additional adults and three pediatric patients with XLRS. The adult cohort will be broken down into three arms, low volume, high volume and control. Patients in the control arm will be observed off-therapy for one year and then have the option to receive treatment. The pediatric cohort will be dosed after evaluating preliminary data from the adult cohort in Part B. This part of the study will continue to assess safety and efficacy, including microperimetry, visual acuity and macular structure.
“A major benefit of ATSN-201 is that it does not need to be precisely placed underneath a specific retinal region. This gives surgeons more discretion regarding bleb placement during subretinal surgery and allows for safe delivery of the healthy gene to the critical portion of the retina,” said Kenji Fujita, MD, Atsena’s Chief Medical Officer. “By testing different volumes in Part B, we will better understand the optimal administration of ATSN-201 to achieve the broadest effect.”
Currently, there are no approved treatments for XLRS which is typically diagnosed in early childhood and primarily affects males. XLRS is characterized by schisis, or abnormal splitting of retinal layers, which causes impaired visual acuity that is not correctable with glasses and ultimately leads to blindness. Approximately 30,000 males in the U.S. and EU have this inherited retinal disease.
The LIGHTHOUSE study is a Phase I/II, open-label, dose-escalation and dose-expansion clinical trial evaluating the safety and tolerability of ATSN-201 in male patients ages six and older with a clinical diagnosis of XLRS caused by pathogenic or likely pathogenic mutations in RS1. Enrollment for this study is ongoing. For more information, visit ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT05878860). ATSN-201 has received Orphan Drug and Rare Pediatric Disease designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
About X-linked Retinoschisis (XLRS)
XLRS is a monogenic X-linked disease caused by mutations in the RS1 gene which encodes retinoschisin, a protein secreted primarily by photoreceptors. RS1 is localized to the extracellular surface of rods, cones, and bipolar cells. XLRS is characterized by schisis, or abnormal splitting of retinal layers, which causes impaired visual acuity that is not correctable with glasses and ultimately blindness. XLRS primarily affects males and is typically diagnosed in early childhood. Approximately 30,000 males in the U.S. and EU have XLRS, for which there are currently no approved treatments.
About AAV.SPR
AAV.SPR, one of Atsena’s novel capsids, spreads laterally beyond the subretinal injection site to enable safe and efficient transduction of the central retina (where schisis cavities predominate in XLRS patient retinas) when injected into areas outside the macula. A preclinical study in non-human primates demonstrated that AAV.SPR promotes transgene expression well beyond subretinal injection bleb margins. This is in stark contrast to benchmark AAV vectors, which remain confined to the original bleb margins. At clinically relevant doses, AAV.SPR efficiently transduces foveal cones without the need for surgical detachment and does not cause inflammation. For more information about the preclinical study and how AAV.SPR works, visit https://atsenatx.com/our-approach/laterally-spreading-aav/.
About Atsena Therapeutics
Atsena Therapeutics (“Atsena”) is a clinical-stage gene therapy company developing best-in-class treatments for the reversal or prevention of blindness from inherited retinal diseases. The company’s lead program is evaluating ATSN-201 in an ongoing Phase I/II clinical trial for X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS), a genetic condition that is typically diagnosed in childhood and leads to blindness later in life. ATSN-101, Atsena’s first-in-class, investigational gene therapy for Leber congenital amaurosis type 1 (LCA1), one of the most common causes of blindness in children, has completed a Phase 1 / 2 trial with positive results (https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(24)01447-8). Atsena is advancing ATSN-101 toward the initiation of a global pivotal trial as part of an exclusive, strategic collaboration. Atsena’s pipeline is powered by novel adeno-associated virus (AAV) technology tailored to overcome the hurdles presented by inherited retinal diseases. Founded by pioneers in ocular gene therapy, Atsena is led by an experienced team dedicated to addressing the needs of patients with vision loss. For more information, please visit https://atsenatx.com/.
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