Gene therapy in sight

Gene therapy has been more or less off the radar for years, but last week's big series A round for GenSight Biologics Inc. reflects the investors' confidence that gene therapies for the eye can be brought to market quickly and at reasonable cost.

Abingworth, Index Ventures, Novartis Venture Funds and Versant Ventures put €32 million ($41.6 million) into GenSight. It is the second largest A round this year, behind cancer immunotherapy company Jounce Therapeutics Inc., which raised $47 million in February from Third Rock Ventures (see BioCentury, Feb. 18). ...