Kiora Partners With Global Genes’ RARE-X Vision Consortium To Advance Research In Rare Ocular Diseases

Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that it has joined the Global Genes RARE-X Vision Consortium, a collaborative corporate-nonprofit initiative aimed at advancing research and accelerating the development of therapies for rare ocular disorders. The consortium seeks to foster greater collaboration among patient advocacy groups, academic researchers, and industry partners to build clinical trial–ready populations, define meaningful outcome measures, and speed up the delivery of vision-restoring treatments to patients.

"We view Global Genes' leadership and coordinated efforts as playing an invaluable role in aiding drug developers working to bring new treatment options to patients," said Brian Strem, Ph.D., President and CEO of Kiora. "As a developer of a novel treatment for inherited retinal diseases, we believe in the value of bringing people together with a common, shared goal; namely accelerating the pathway to new therapies for rare ocular disease. The Global Genes team employs concrete steps to increase the probability of advancing our experimental therapy to potentially help more patients."

The RARE-X Vision Consortium operates in a pre-competitive, open-source framework, encouraging data sharing and cooperation to overcome the challenges that often hinder drug development in rare diseases. Data generated through consortium programs will be available at a de-identified, individual patient level to academic, nonprofit, and industry researchers worldwide. The initiative focuses on three key areas,  patient identification and recruitment, development of better clinical outcome measures, and inclusive trial design — to enhance the effectiveness and inclusivity of clinical studies in rare ocular conditions.

"We welcome Kiora to the RARE-X Vision Consortium. The mission of the Vision Consortium is to promote collaboration across rare genetic ocular disorders among advocacy, research, and industry stakeholders to advance research leading to vision-enhancing therapies while improving the lives of those impacted by these disorders," said Karmen Trzupek, Senior Director of Scientific Programs at Global Genes. "We have assembled many of the leading rare disease advocacy groups in the ophthalmic space and look forward to expanding the Vision Consortium with foundational companies like Kiora in the private sector."

Through this collaboration, the Vision Consortium is building a global centralized data repository to help identify and engage patients affected by rare eye diseases, aggregate functional and patient-reported outcomes to establish more meaningful trial endpoints, and ensure patient perspectives are integrated early in study design and planning. By incorporating diverse patient voices and real-world insights, the consortium aims to create a foundation for more inclusive, impactful, and patient-centered vision research worldwide.