Date: 2013-04-08
Type of information: Fundraising
Company: GenSight Biologics (France)
Investors: Abingworth (UK) - Index Ventures (USA-Switzerland) - Versant Ventures (Switzerland) - Novartis Venture Fund (Switzerland)
Amount: € 32 million
Funding type: series A financing round
Planned used: The financing was co-led by Novartis Venture Fund, Abingworth LLP, Versant Ventures and Index Ventures. GenSight will use the funds to develop a gene replacement therapy for Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) and an optogenetic therapy for retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The lead product is expected to enter the clinic in 2013 in LHON patients.
Others: GenSight Biologics, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of ophthalmic therapeutics using gene therapy, has announced the closing of a €32 million Series A financing. The financing was co-led by Novartis Venture Fund, Abingworth LLP, Versant Ventures and Index Ventures.
GenSight is based in Paris, France on the campus of the Vision Institute. The company co-founders are Bernard Gilly, who was formerly CEO of Fovea Pharmaceuticals, Professor José-Alain Sahel, Chairman of the Vision Institute in Paris, Jean Bennett, Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Pennsylvania, Connie Cepko Professor of Genetics at Harvard (Boston), Ernst Bamberg Professor at The Max Planck Institute (Frankfurt), Luk Vandenberghe at the Schepens Eye Research Institute (Boston) and Serge Picaud at the Vision Institute (Paris). GenSight has a proprietary approach to targeting the mitochondria in LHON developed by Dr Corral-Debrinsky and Jose Sahel at the Vision Institute, and exclusive access to key intellectual property from Novartis for using optogenetics to treat RP patients. The company has also a partnership with AFM/Genethon.
Florent Gros of Novartis Venture Fund, along with Dr Genghis Lloyd-Harris (Abingworth) and Dr Guido Magni (Versant) will join the board of directors.
Therapeutic area: Ophtalmological diseases
