Kriya Collaborates with Everads to Advance Gene Therapies for Eye Diseases

Kriya Therapeutics has entered into an exclusive license, collaboration, and supply agreement with Everads Therapy to advance its portfolio of gene therapies for retinal diseases using Everads’ suprachoroidal delivery device.

Everads, a privately held biotechnology company, has developed a groundbreaking technology that enables the precise delivery of therapies to the retina through the suprachoroidal space—an anatomical compartment located between the sclera and choroid, encircling the posterior segment of the eye.

Suprachoroidal delivery represents an emerging, non-surgical method of administration within the field of ophthalmology. Particularly in the context of gene therapy, this mode of delivery holds the potential to optimize the effectiveness of gene therapy delivery to the retina while minimizing the occurrence of intraocular inflammation.

The agreement enables Kriya's Access to Everads' suprachoroidal delivery technology for the administration of multiple predefined gene therapy product candidates aimed at addressing various ophthalmic diseases, including those related to the complement cascade. Dysregulation of the complement system has been identified as a factor in the development and advancement of geographic atrophy.

Kriya's strategy involves a one-time adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy that stimulates the production of a CR2-CR1 (complement receptor 2-complement receptor 1) fusion protein, designed to inhibit complement C3 and C5. These same targets are also addressed by the initial two FDA-approved treatments for geographic atrophy, which necessitate monthly or bi-monthly intraocular injections.

“We are excited about the potential to advance a gene therapy that blocks both complement C3 and C5, which are validated biological targets for the treatment of geographic atrophy,” said Shankar Ramaswamy, M.D., Co-Founder and CEO of Kriya. “Our collaboration with Everads aligns with our vision to implement next generation delivery technologies that can optimize AAV delivery to the eye via one-time administration, which has the potential to substantially reduce patient burden associated with repeated intravitreal injections or subretinal surgical approaches.”

“We believe that our suprachoroidal delivery technology provides a potential leap forward for novel eye care therapies. Our proprietary, geometrically-optimized non-sharp tissue separator opens a path into the suprachoroidal space, enabling a more convenient tangential injection that can support rapid and extensive drug distribution,” said Moshe Weinstein, Executive Chair & CEO of Everads. “We are excited to partner with Kriya to enable delivery of cutting-edge gene therapy via the suprachoroidal space that may ultimately improve the quality of life for patients with geographic atrophy.”

Kriya's gene therapy candidate for geographic atrophy offers the following potential advantages:

1. Administered as a one-time AAV treatment, it has the potential to significantly reduce the treatment burden on patients compared to currently approved therapies, which require monthly or bimonthly intraocular injections. Additionally, it can provide multi-year efficacy for a progressive degenerative disease.

2. The continuous expression of the CR2-CR1 fusion protein plays a powerful role in inhibiting the complement cascade. The CR1 domain is designed to block C3 and C5, while the CR2 domain ensures targeted inhibition at the site of complement fragment deposition on damaged cell surfaces.

3. Delivery through the suprachoroidal space has the potential to optimize the transduction of retinal cells, while minimizing the inflammation that can be associated with other routes of administration, such as intravitreal injections.