Replay Launches Eudora to Target Genetic Retinal Diseases (Updated)

Platform technology company Replay has launched Eudora, a gene therapy company targeting genetic diseases of the retina.

Eudora will utilize Replay’s high payload capacity herpes simplex virus (HSV) vector to deliver gene therapy payloads, the company announced Monday.

Replay plans to launch four companies using this technology, although Eudora is the first to launch. The other three will focus on brain, skin and muscle diseases.

Eudora is initially focused on retinitis pigmentosa, Stargardt disease and Usher syndrome type 1B. 

"All these diseases have genes that are too large to fit into AAV, either due to the gene themselves, or the natural regulatory sequences are too large," said a Replay spokesperson in a statement e-mailed to BioSpace. 

Retinitis pigmentosa is a family of rare eye diseases that cause the cells in the retina to break down, resulting in vision loss. Stargardt disease is also a rare genetic disorder caused by the buildup of fatty material on the macula, the part of the retina required for sharp, central vision. USH1 is marked by congenital, bilateral, profound sensorineural hearing loss, vestibular areflexia, and adolescent-onset retinitis pigmentosa.

“Replay’s differentiated corporate structure allows its platform technologies to be applied to indications in areas of high unmet medical need across a portfolio of focused product companies,” said Adrian Woolfson, executive chairman, president and co-founder of Replay in the announcement. 

Eudora’s four co-founders include Joe Glorioso, Ph.D., Mark Blumenkranz, M.D., David Schaffer, Ph.D. and Vinit Mahajan, M.D., Ph.D.

Glorioso is the synHSV senior advisor at Replay. He is a professor in the microbiology and molecular genetics department at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Glorioso stated that Eudora's HSV-1 delivery platform was developed by his team at the University of Pittsburgh over several decades. 

The most common gene therapy vector is the adeno-associated virus (AAV). Replay and Eudora noted the advantage of the synHSV is its ability to deliver payloads eight times the size of AAV vector payloads. Replay is also working on an HSV vector that it believes can provide a payload 30 times larger than AAV vectors can handle.

Replay calls itself a genome writing company. It has a hub-and-spoke model, identifying specific technology platforms and launching companies to utilize them.

The company launched in July with $55 million in seed financing. The round was led by KKR and OMX Ventures, with participation from ARTIS Ventures and Lansdowne Partners, SALT, DeciBio Ventures and Axial.

Replay and Eudora are "scaling up the manufacturing," and aim to be in the clinic in two-to-three years, the spokesperson said.