SparingVision (“the Company”), a clinical-stage genomic medicine company developing vision-saving treatments for ocular diseases, shares progress in its lead gene therapy program, SPVN06, and research on retinitis pigmentosa. These updates were presented at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) 2023 Annual Meeting, 23-27 April 2023.
In the first of three poster presentations, SparingVision presented nonclinical safety and pharmacokinetic data on its breakthrough gene therapy approach, SPVN06, from three studies conducted in non-human primates (NHPs). The data demonstrated the absorption and shedding of SPVN06, which was transiently observed in blood and tears, and high tropism for the retina. These studies also demonstrated reasonable safety margins across the full clinical dose range, supporting the Company’s ongoing Phase I/II clinical trial of SPVN06, PRODYGY.
Dr Mehdi Gasmi, Chief Operating Officer of SparingVision, said: “We are pleased to have been selected once again to highlight the progress of our lead program SPVN06 at ARVO’s Annual Meeting. The robust preclinical data package that we have built to date, as well as the clinical information collected from our ongoing natural history study PHENOROD2, were instrumental in helping us design our first-in-human Phase I/II clinical trial, PRODYGY. This trial received IND and CTA approval at the end of 2022- early 2023 and is currently enrolling patients.”
The second poster highlighted the importance of appropriate pharmacology animal model selection in order to establish functional proof of concept and inform dose selection, which is especially crucial in gene therapy where patients cannot be redosed. SparingVision evaluated two mouse models of RCD, rd10 and P23H/+, and compared rd10 mice breed in normal light conditions versus darkness. The Company eventually selected the dark-reared rd10 mouse model for the pharmacological assessment of SPVN06, as it provided the appropriate biological framework to evaluate a slow-down in visual acuity upon therapeutic intervention.
In the final presentation, SparingVision provided an update on its ongoing prospective natural history study, PHENOROD2, assessing RCD progression. The Company demonstrated no substantial change in mobility or balance, assessed respectively using a MOST-based modular maze and the Sensory Organization Test (SOT), after two years of follow-up. The impact of RCD on functional vision has not been well characterized to date and these findings indicate that a MOST-based mobility test could be used to indirectly assess cone function; however, it may not be able to capture short-term changes in patients with slowly progressive RCD. Longer follow-up may be needed to allow for the detection of changes in disease progression and inform potential treatment effects in interventional clinical trials, including selecting relevant clinical efficacy endpoints.
More details of the presentations can be found below:
Poster Presentation: Nonclinical safety and pharmacokinetic assessment of SPVN06, an AAV-based gene therapy for the treatment of rod-cone dystrophies
Presenter: Anne-Sophie Gautron, PhD
[1] GLP: Good Laboratory Practices
[2] RPE: Retinal Pigment Epithelium
Poster Presentation: Mouse model selection for pharmacological evaluation of AAV-based therapeutic agents for the treatment of rod-cone dystrophies (RCD)
Presenter: Melanie Marie, PhD
Poster Presentation: Mobility and postural testing in patients with rod-cone dystrophy enrolled in the prospective natural history study PHENOROD2
Presenter: Mylène Poujade
NOTES TO EDITORS:
About SparingVision
SparingVision is a clinical-stage genomic medicines company with a mission to translate pioneering science into vision saving treatments. Leveraging its unparalleled understanding of retinal diseases, SparingVision has built the world’s most compelling portfolio of synergistic cutting-edge gene therapy and genome editing treatments for inherited retinal diseases (IRDs). Both of its most advanced products, SPVN06 and SPVN20 look to go beyond single gene correction therapies to deliver new gene-independent treatments for Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a group of IRDs which are the leading cause of blindness globally. The Company also has a strategic collaboration with Intellia Therapeutics (NASDAQ: NTLA) to develop novel genome editing-based treatments for ocular diseases utilizing CRISPR-Cas9 technology.
SparingVision is backed by high-quality international investors including 4BIO Capital, AdBio Partners, Bpifrance, Fondation Voir & Entendre, Intellia Therapeutics, Jeito Capital, RD Fund (US), UPMC Enterprises, and Ysios Capital.
Visit www.sparingvision.com for more and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @SparingVision.
About SPVN06
SPVN06 is a proprietary, mutation-agnostic, AAV gene therapy approach comprised of one neurotrophic factor (Rod derived Cone Viability Factor, RdCVF) and one enzyme reducing oxidative stress (Rod derived Cone Viability Factor Long form, RdCVFL) which, acting synergistically, aim at slowing or stopping the degeneration of cone photoreceptors, which inevitably leads to blindness in patients with rod-cone dystrophies (RCD). SparingVision’s primary disease targets are Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), one of the most common inherited retinal diseases that affects two million patients worldwide and dry Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). There is currently no treatment approved to treat RP patients independently of their genetic background. This approach is potentially applicable to many more diseases where the loss of rods is known to be an early signal of the disease.
About Inherited Retinal Diseases
Inherited retinal diseases are a group of progressive eye conditions that can cause severe vision loss and, in certain cases, lead to total blindness. One of the most common examples is Retinitis Pigmentosa, a type of retinal dystrophy that involves a breakdown and loss of cells in the retina. Retinal dystrophies are caused by mutations in any one of more than 270 genes identified to date (over 80 genes for RP alone) and have become a target for novel genomic medicines.