PolyActiva and RareSight join forces to target childhood retinal diseases

Australian biotech PolyActiva and USA-based RareSight have formed a strategic collaboration to create first-in-class treatments for inherited retinal diseases in children. The research will apply PolyActiva’s proprietary Prezia sustained-release platform to generate new pro-drugs that can be delivered directly to the retina.

The Prezia system provides continuous, zero-order release without ongoing dosing, an approach that could ease the burden on young patients and caregivers. According to PolyActiva chief executive Jerry St Peter, the agreement marks an “important step” in expanding the technology beyond glaucoma. RareSight founder Carmen Caricchio said the project “represents a major step toward transforming how inherited eye diseases are treated.”

Inherited retinal diseases are progressive genetic disorders that often begin in childhood and can lead to blindness. Around 6.8 million people worldwide are affected, yet there are no approved drug therapies. PolyActiva’s Phase IIb trial of its glaucoma implant Pa5108 is continuing in the USA, and the new partnership extends its platform to pediatric retinal conditions.