Astellas and Harvard professor to study retinal degeneration

Astellas has announced a new collaboration with an investigator at Harvard Medical School aimed at discovering pathologic mechanisms for retinitis pigmentosa and identifying new therapeutic targets.

The company will work with Dr Constance Cepko, professor of genetics and ophthalmology at Harvard, to create a new gene therapy option for retinitis pigmentosa patients who have difficulty maintaining good vision.

Retinitis pigmentosa is a retinal degenerative disease caused by genetic mutations and characterised by loss of peripheral and night vision, before eventually leading to full blindness.

Professor Cepko is a world-renowned authority on ophthalmology and gene therapy. It is hoped that her expertise will lead to the discovery of genes that can prolong vision in those who inherit retinitis pigmentosa.

Dr Kenji Yasukawa, senior vice-president and chief strategy officer at Astellas, said: "Astellas is looking for challenges in new therapeutic areas and novel technology platforms, as well as new drug discovery opportunities that satisfy unmet medical needs through collaboration with external partners."

This comes after the firm recently allied with charity organisation Cancer Research UK to identify new oncology drug targets, with an initial focus on pancreatic cancer.