Vedere Bio

Vedere Bio, Inc. was a biotechnology firm that developed gene therapies to restore functional vision in patients with vision loss from inherited retinal degenerations and other causes. Founded in June 2019 within the Atlas Venture incubator, the company's scientific basis stemmed from research at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Pennsylvania. The scientific founders include Drs. Ehud Isacoff and John G. Flannery. The company was led by CEO Dr. Cyrus Mozayeni, an entrepreneur-in-residence at Atlas Venture, and the board was chaired by Kevin Bitterman, a partner at Atlas Venture.

The company's core technology was a mutation-agnostic optogenetics platform. This approach used adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors to deliver light-sensing proteins to surviving retinal cells, effectively bypassing the dead photoreceptor cells that cause vision loss. This method was designed to be applicable regardless of the specific genetic mutation causing the disease, targeting a broad patient population, including those with conditions like retinitis pigmentosa and geographic atrophy. The therapies were administered via intravitreal injection.

In September 2020, after operating for just over a year and raising a $21 million Series A, Vedere Bio was acquired by Novartis in a deal worth up to $280 million, consisting of $150 million upfront and $130 million in potential milestone payments. Just before the acquisition, Vedere Bio spun out its earlier-stage assets into a new, independent entity named Vedere Bio II, Inc. This new company, with the same leadership team, launched in May 2021 with a $77 million Series A financing to continue developing next-generation ocular gene therapies. However, after failing to meet preclinical targets, Vedere Bio II ceased operations in April 2023.

Keywords: ocular gene therapy, vision restoration, photoreceptor death, optogenetics, AAV delivery, retinal disease, inherited retinal dystrophies, geographic atrophy, mutation-agnostic, Novartis acquisition, Atlas Venture, Cyrus Mozayeni, Kevin Bitterman, Ehud Isacoff, John G. Flannery