Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel Spinout RhyGaze Closes USD 86 Million Series A Round to Further Novel Gene Therapy for Vision Restoration
Funding enables progress of RhyGaze lead asset through early clinical trialsLed by GV, series participants included Arch Venture Partners, F-Prime Capital and RhyGaze founding investors BioGeneration Ventures and Novartis Venture Fund
RhyGaze, a biotechnology company based in Basel, Switzerland and Philadelphia, Pa., USA, today announced that it has secured a Series A financing of USD 86 million. The round was led by GV (Google Ventures), alongside Arch Venture Partners, F-Prime Capital and founding investors BioGeneration Ventures and Novartis Venture Fund, who contributed USD 11 million to an earlier seed round.
RhyGaze was founded on intellectual property exclusively licensed to the company by the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB), a scientific institute led by Director Botond Roska, M.D., Ph.D., who is a scientific co-founder of RhyGaze. This funding will enable further development of RhyGaze’s lead clinical candidate, a novel gene therapy for optogenetic vision restoration in diseases causing blindness. Activities to be supported include formal pharmacology and toxicology testing, a non-interventional, observational study to assess potential clinical endpoints in patient groups eligible for the therapy and a first-in-human clinical trial to test the safety, tolerability and potential efficacy of the lead candidate.
“This program exemplifies a key goal of IOB: combining our deep understanding of retinal biology and vision with breakthrough technologies to develop novel therapies for vision loss,” said Dr. Roska. Added Bence György, M.D., Ph.D., a group leader at the IOB, RhyGaze scientific co-founder and board member and Assistant Professor at the University of Basel: “We are excited to see this program moving forward because it uniquely presents the opportunity to restore high-resolution vision in blind patients.”
“I look forward to partnering with colleagues at IOB to bring this novel gene therapy to patients, and I am excited about the team we are assembling to pursue this important goal,” said Dr. Katherine High, CEO of RhyGazeand formerly co-founder, President and Head of R&D at Spark Therapeutics. “RhyGaze will determine over the next few years whether the compelling data generated at IOB can translate to clinical outcomes. If that is true, this innovation will have a world-wide impact in improved therapeutics for blindness.”
RhyGaze operates from Basel, Switzerland and Philadelphia, Pa., USA.
About RhyGaze
RhyGaze is a cutting-edge biotechnology company based in Basel, Switzerland, and Philadelphia, Pa., USA, focused on developing gene therapies for retinal diseases causing blindness. Founded on pioneering research from the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB), RhyGaze aims to restore vision and transform the lives of patients worldwide. IOB scientists Drs. Botond Roska, Bence György and Charles Gubser are the scientific founders of RhyGaze. The name RhyGaze derives from the Basel-German word for the Rhein (Rhy), on the banks of which the IOB is located.
About IOB
At the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB), basic researchers and clinicians work hand in hand to advance the understanding of vision and its diseases, and to develop new therapies for vision loss. IOB started its operations in 2018. The institute is constituted as a foundation, granting academic freedom to its scientists. Founding partners are the University Hospital Basel, the University of Basel and Novartis. The Canton of Basel-Stadt has granted the institute substantial financial support.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250110360650/en/
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Kioxia Develops Core Technology that Will Allow the Practical Implementation of High-density, Low-power 3D DRAM12.12.2025 06:24:00 CET | Press release
Showcase the technology of highly stackable oxide-semiconductor channel transistors Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, today announced the development of highly stackable oxide-semiconductor channel transistors that will enable the practical implementation of high-density, low-power 3D DRAM. This technology was presented at the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) held in San Francisco, USA, on December 10, and has the potential to reduce power consumption across a wide range of applications, including AI servers and IoT components. In the era of AI, there is growing demand for DRAM with larger capacity and lower power consumption that can process large amounts of data. Traditional DRAM technology is reaching the physical limits of memory cell size scaling, prompting research into the 3D stacking of memory cells to provide additional capacity. The use of single-crystal silicon as the channel material for transistors in stacked memory cells, as is the
Andersen Global styrker sine juridiske kapaciteter med tilføjelsen af brasiliansk medlemsfirma11.12.2025 18:49:00 CET | Pressemeddelelse
Andersen Global udbygger sin juridiske platform i Brasilien, da Lotti e Araújo bliver et medlemsfirma, hvilket styrker organisationens kapacitet i Latinamerika. Lotti e Araújo blev stiftet for over 20 år siden og tilbyder omfattende juridisk rådgivning til brasilianske og multinationale klienter inden for en lang række brancher. Dets tværfaglige praksis omfatter selskabsret, skatteret, arbejdsret, retssager, inkasso og inddrivelse af gæld – samt specialiseret arbejde med at identificere skjulte aktiver og inddrive anke- og retsindskud i ældre sager. Firmaet håndterer også voldgift, forvaltningsret, udenlandske investeringer, fast ejendom, intellektuel ejendomsret, databeskyttelse og virksomhedsomstrukturering og tilbyder juridisk assistance inden for selskabsdannelse og repræsentation over for tilsynsmyndigheder. Teamet rådgiver klienter om forebyggende juridiske strategier og komplekse tvister for administrative organer og domstole i Brasilien. "Hos Lotti e Araújo bygger vores praksis
BEYOND Developments Reveals a New Vision for Purposeful Living on Dubai Islands with SIORA11.12.2025 18:02:00 CET | Press release
A 2M sqft masterplan inspired by Japanese garden principles, crafted around balance, clarity, and the quiet rhythm of coastal life BEYOND Developments, the bold and design-led real estate developer shaping next-generation waterfront destinations in the UAE, today unveiled SIORA, its first beachfront masterplan on Dubai Islands and the company’s second large-scale community within a year. The launch underscores BEYOND’s accelerated growth and strong alignment with Dubai’s future urban vision. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251211014389/en/ BEYOND Developments - SIORA Masterplan at sunset - Dubai Islands (Photo: AETOSWire) Spanning over 2M square feet, SIORA is conceived as a coastal sanctuary inspired by Japanese garden philosophies, including the pursuit of Ikigai, the Japanese concept of finding purpose and fulfilment in everyday life. In this context, it reflects a philosophy of creating spaces that bring c
3Degrees Welcomes David Dines to Board of Directors11.12.2025 17:00:00 CET | Press release
3Degrees, a global leader in renewable energy and climate solutions, is pleased to announce the appointment of David Dines to its Board of Directors, effective December 8, 2025. Dines brings more than four decades of leadership experience across global energy, commodities, financial services, transportation, and industrial markets. He served on the executive team as Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Senior Vice President at Cargill, Inc., the largest privately held company in the United States, where he oversaw enterprise-wide financial strategy, capital deployment, and financial performance. During his 29-year career at Cargill, Dines led multiple global businesses, played key roles in major technology and process transformations, and was a member of Cargill’s Commodity Risk, Financial Risk, and Process, Data, and Technology Committees. “We are thrilled to welcome David to the 3Degrees board,” said Philippe Vedrenne, CEO, 3Degrees. “He has an exceptional command of financial stewa
ITC Infotech wins PTC Partner Network Award for FY25 in the PLM Category11.12.2025 15:40:00 CET | Press release
ITC Infotech’s DxP Services earns recognition for its strong PLM expertise, unwavering commitment to delivering customer value, and strategic collaboration with PTC to drive innovation through SaaS-led offerings and accelerate digital transformation for customers. ITC Infotech, a leading global technology services and solutions provider, has been awarded the PTC Partner Network Award for FY25 in the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) category. This prestigious recognition, awarded to a single partner globally, celebrates excellence in deploying Enterprise PLM software, enabling global and cross-functional teams to effectively manage product data and providing a trusted system for product information. The award underscores ITC Infotech’s leadership in PLM-led digital transformation, as well as its strategic alignment with PTC’s Intelligent Product Lifecycle vision, which helps customers build a structured product data foundation that serves as the backbone for AI-driven transformation.
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom