Staff Reports | Free Press Philanthopy
A Race Against Blindness, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to funding sight-saving therapies for children, is announcing a $2 million grant awarded in December 2024 to Axovia Therapeutics to support a planned clinical trial.
The company’s product candidate, AXV101, is aimed at combating childhood blindness due to retinitis pigmentosa (RP) caused by Bardet-Biedl Syndrome 1, according to a press release.
With this grant, the charity contributed $3 million in total funding during 2024 to propel this groundbreaking program, the release states.
“Because of our incredible supporters, we’ve taken another huge step forward in the race against blindness. But much work remains, and continuing to advance this therapy into and through a clinical trial remains our top priority,” said Dr. Stephen Johnston, co-founder of A Race Against Blindness.
“The potential of this gene therapy to address vision loss brings hope to thousands of children facing blindness due to BBS1 worldwide. However, additional funding is needed to support this program through clinical trials.”
The grant funding provided by A Race Against Blindness to Axovia Therapeutics has enabled significant progress in nearing the anticipated Clinical Trial Application submission, which if cleared, would allow the company to begin a clinical trial in the UK in mid-2025.
Dr. Stephen Johnston and Kristina Johnston founded A Race Against Blindness after their son was diagnosed with progressive vision loss due to RP/BBS1. Due to the progressive nature of the condition, it truly is a race against blindness for all facing this condition.
