ARTICLE SUMMARY:
With a novel electro-transfection technology PulseSight targets difficult-to-treat ocular diseases. The start-up’s platform has the potential to realize the benefits of gene therapy and large molecule injections while avoiding the drawbacks.
PulseSight Therapeutics (Paris, France) is beginning a Phase I clinical trial for PST-611, a potentially disruptive nonviral vectorized treatment for dry age-related macular degeneration.
The company was originally founded in 2008 as Eyevensys by Francine Béhar-Cohen, MD, PhD, a vitreoretinal surgeon, researcher, and entrepreneur. For 23 years, she has directed a research team at INSERM (the French national institute of health and medical research) focused on the pathophysiology of ocular diseases, and she also founded eye-focused start-up, EyeGate Pharma.
Eyevensys initially targeted severe noninfectious uveitis, achieving some early clinical validation of a novel electro-transfection platform delivering DNA plasmids coded to manufacture therapeutic proteins in the ciliary muscle. After successfully validating the feasibility of the platform in preclinical and early clinical work, the COVID-19 epidemic hit. Being forced to pause its clinical work, the company decided to use that time to pivot to a potentially more compelling clinical and market opportunity, dry age-related macular degeneration. Eyevensys was relaunched as PulseSight in 2024, with former biopharma executive Judith Greciet taking the helm as CEO.
