Beacon Therapeutics Raises $75 Million to Advance AAV Gene Therapies for Blinding Retinal Diseases

LONDON and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 8, 2026 –Beacon Therapeutics, a clinical-stage ophthalmic gene therapy company, has raised $75 million in an oversubscribed Series C financing to advance development and commercialization of its adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy portfolio, led by its potentially best-in-class AAV gene therapy laru-zova.

The Series C financing was led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives, with participation from new investor The Retinal Degeneration Fund and existing investors including Syncona, Forbion, Oxford Science Enterprises, and Advent Life Sciences. Syncona invested $24.5 million, increasing its ownership stake in Beacon to 38.4% upon full drawdown and valuing its holding at $237.6 million.

Proceeds from the financing will support late-stage development and commercial readiness of laru-zova, an AAV-based gene therapy for X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP), a blinding inherited retinal disease with no approved treatments. Funding will also advance Beacon’s broader AAV gene therapy pipeline, including AAV programs for Geographic Atrophy (GA), inherited cone rod dystrophy, and additional undisclosed retinal indications.

Beacon’s pivotal VISTA trial, evaluating the company’s lead AAV retinal gene therapy, completed enrollment in July 2025, with clinical data expected in the second half of 2026. To date, Beacon has raised approximately $367 million to develop AAV gene therapies designed to restore and preserve vision in patients with inherited and age-related retinal diseases.