Opus Gets RD Fund Backing for OPGx-MERTK Therapy

Opus Genetics, Inc. has announced a new funding agreement with the Retinal Degeneration Fund (RD Fund), the venture philanthropy arm of the Foundation Fighting Blindness. Through this partnership, Opus will receive up to $2 million in non-dilutive funding to advance its OPGx-MERTK program, which is focused on developing gene therapies for patients with retinitis pigmentosa caused by pathogenic variants in the Mer proto-oncogene tyrosine kinase (MERTK) gene.

Advancing Therapy for an Unmet Need

OPGx-MERTK is currently in preclinical development, targeting a rod-cone dystrophy characterized by early macular atrophy, with retinitis pigmentosa being the most common clinical presentation. This inherited retinal disease, linked to mutations in the MERTK gene, affects an estimated 600 individuals in the United States. The therapy is designed as a modern adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector approach to address this severe condition, for which no approved treatments currently exist.

Strategic Partnership and Leadership Comments

George Magrath, MD, CEO of Opus Genetics, emphasized the impact of the funding, stating:

“This strategic funding enables us to advance the development of OPGx-MERTK, a promising program that aims to address a retinal degenerative condition with no currently approved therapies. OPGx-MERTK is currently in preclinical development, and we expect this financial support will allow us to move this asset towards Investigational New Drug enabling studies. We are grateful to the Foundation Fighting Blindness and the RD Fund for their continued partnership as we work to bring meaningful treatments to patients suffering from vision-threatening conditions.”

Rusty Kelley, PhD, Managing Director of the RD Fund, also commented on the collaboration:

“Our alliance with Opus Genetics leverages the full strength of the Foundation Fighting Blindness community—our donors, mission, and team—alongside the proven expertise of Opus and gene therapy pioneers Drs. Jean Bennett and Tomas Aleman, to accelerate life-changing treatments.”

Financial Outlook

With the addition of this funding, Opus stated that based on current projections, its existing cash resources are now expected to support operations into the second half of 2026. This collaboration underscores the value of combining venture philanthropy, industry partnership, and cutting-edge science to drive progress in addressing inherited retinal diseases.