Mirugen is developing a treatment which harnesses the regenerative power of the retina’s own stem cells to prevent and reverse damage to the light-sensing photoreceptors in the back of the eye.

The research aims to develop a therapy for currently untreatable conditions like retinitis pigmentosa, Stargardt’s disease and age-related macular degeneration.

The Mirugen team’s gene therapy treatment involves injecting engineered viruses into the eye to deliver reprogramming genes into retinal cells. 

These genes will then stimulate the stem cells in the eye to develop into new photoreceptors that replace the damaged cells.

Mirugen co-founder and Head of Cellular Reprogramming Research at CERA, Associate Professor Raymond Wong, says the team had achieved promising results in earlier preclinical studies.

“The CUREator+ funding has enabled my team to conduct essential preclinical experiments to accelerate the development of our new gene therapy candidate,” he says.

“Our ultimate aim is to get our treatment to patients and create a brighter future for people living with incurable blindness.”

CUREator+ is funded by the Medical Research Future Fund and delivered by Brandon BioCatalyst and ANDHealth. 

This story was originally published in Share our vision: Annual Review.