Syncona upbeat on interim trial results at Beacon Therapeutics

(Sharecast News) - Syncona announced positive three-month interim results from the phase two 'DAWN' trial conducted by its portfolio company Beacon Therapeutics on Friday. The AIM-traded firm said the trial was evaluating laru-zova, or AGTC-501, Beacon's lead asset, as a potential treatment for X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP), a severe genetic condition that leads to progressive vision loss.

It said the DAWN study assessed two doses of laru-zova for safety, tolerability, and efficacy in patients who previously received AAV gene therapy in one eye.

The interim data presented at the FLORetina-ICOOR Meeting 2024 in Florence showed that laru-zova was well-tolerated, and showed early signs of improving low luminance visual acuity (LLVA), a key marker of disease progression.

Syncona said the results reinforced the potential of laru-zova in treating XLRP, a condition that currently had no approved therapies.

Beacon was now enrolling participants for its phase two and three pivotal VISTA trial of laru-zova, with a data readout expected in 2026.

This milestone represents a critical step in the development of a treatment for XLRP and a significant value inflection point for Beacon and Syncona's investment portfolio.

"Building on the recent 24-month data from the phase two SKYLINE trial, these positive results from DAWN further demonstrate the potential of Beacon's laru-zova programme," said Chris Hollowood, chief executive officer of Syncona Investment Management and board director at Beacon Therapeutics.

"The early visual improvements observed reinforce the compelling efficacy data shown to date and offer further hope to XLRP patients.

"We believe that laru-zova could be a life-changing treatment for these patients and look forward to further data, including from the phase two and three VISTA trial, which will be used to support regulatory approval."

At 1434 GMT, shares in Syncona were up 0.08% at 102.08p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.