Beacon Therapeutics Exercises Option to License Abeona’s AAV204 for Retinal Gene Therapy
Beacon Therapeutics has exercised its option to license Abeona Therapeutics’ patented AAV204 capsid, expanding its pipeline of potential gene therapies for a range of prevalent and rare retinal diseases that can lead to blindness.
Agreement Builds on Previous Collaboration
This worldwide, non-exclusive license follows the agreement established between Abeona and Beacon in July 2024, which initially granted Beacon the right to evaluate the therapeutic potential of AAV204 for a 12-month period.
Under the terms of the license, Abeona will receive an undisclosed upfront payment, with additional payments tied to the achievement of specific development, regulatory, and sales milestones, along with tiered royalties on worldwide net sales of licensed products incorporating AAV204.
Enabling Targeted Delivery in Retinal Diseases
Commenting on the agreement, Madhav Vasanthavada, PhD, chief commercial officer and head of business development at Abeona Therapeutics, stated, “Beacon’s option exercise further validates AAV204’s potential to enable targeted delivery of gene therapies in rare and prevalent ophthalmic diseases. Our non-exclusive agreement with Beacon enables us to fully explore the therapeutic value of AAV204 in additional ophthalmic diseases.”
About AAV204 and the AIM Capsid Library
AAV204 is a novel adeno-associated virus (AAV) capsid from the AIM capsid library, which Abeona licensed from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that AAV204 achieves high macular and optic nerve transduction levels after para-retinal administration and facilitates transduction of both the inner and outer retina following intravitreal administration in mice and non-human primates.
The AIM capsid library is a collection of proprietary AAV serotypes designed to enhance the delivery of genetic payloads to critical tissues implicated in serious genetic diseases.
