Kriya Presents Data at the 2025 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting

– Preclinical data support clinical development of KRIYA-825; Phase 1/2 clinical trial in Geographic Atrophy currently underway –

– Kriya is developing KRIYA-825 as a potential one-time gene therapy, delivered by suprachoroidal injection, expressing a fusion protein inhibiting the activity of complement C3 and C5 for the treatment of Geographic Atrophy –

/EIN News/ -- RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. and PALO ALTO, Calif., May 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kriya Therapeutics, Inc. ("Kriya"), a biopharmaceutical company developing gene therapies to address chronic diseases affecting millions of people around the world, today presented preclinical data on its gene therapy candidate, KRIYA-825, being developed for the treatment of Geographic Atrophy. The data were presented at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, UT.

KRIYA-825 is an adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy that expresses a complement CR2-CR1 fusion protein for the treatment of Geographic Atrophy, a prevalent degenerative retinal disease that is one of the leading causes of blindness among the elderly. The CR2-CR1 fusion protein is designed to inhibit the activity of complement C3 and C5, which are validated therapeutic pathways that have been targeted by two different FDA approved medicines for Geographic Atrophy. Earlier this year, Kriya initiated a clinical trial of KRIYA-825 in patients with Geographic Atrophy.

“We are excited about the tremendous potential of KRIYA-825 for the treatment of Geographic Atrophy, a devastating and progressive disease in need of better treatment options,” said Shankar Ramaswamy, M.D., Co-Founder and CEO of Kriya. “We are proud of the data that the team has generated to date, and we look forward to continuing to share further updates as we advance KRIYA-825 through clinical development for patients with Geographic Atrophy.”

The abstract findings are summarized below.

Title: A Novel AAV Gene Therapy Complement Inhibitor: KRIYA-825 Exhibits Dose-Dependent Murine Efficacy and NHP Biodistribution
Session: AMD: Clinical and Translational Studies
Date: May 8, 2025 from 8:00 AM to 9:45 AM MT

In a mouse model of severe retinal damage by sodium iodate (NaIO₃), the authors demonstrated the potential of KRIYA-825 to ameliorate inflammatory-driven retinal degeneration, a key feature of Geographic Atrophy:

• KRIYA-825 treated mice demonstrated dose-dependent preservation of retinal thickness; and
• Retinal damage by NaIO₃ increased C3b fragment levels relative to iC3b, while KRIYA-825 treatment helped to suppress C3b to iC3b protein levels.

In this dose range finding study in non-human primates, the authors demonstrated the ability of a novel device to deliver KRIYA-825 to the suprachoroidal space and achieve target biodistribution in ocular tissues:

• Suprachoroidal delivery of KRIYA-825 using the Everads Suprachoroidal Injector was well-tolerated in non-human primates in the study; and
• Robust transgene mRNA levels were detected in relevant ocular tissues including the choroid and RPE cell layers of the retina, with minimal detectable transgene mRNA in tissues collected outside of the eye.

About Kriya’s Geographic Atrophy Gene Therapy Program
Kriya is developing KRIYA-825, a potential one-time gene therapy for Geographic Atrophy (GA) that expresses a fusion protein designed to inhibit the activity of complement C3 and C5, with the objective of slowing GA lesion growth and vision loss. KRIYA-825 is designed to be administered through a one-time in-office suprachoroidal injection. GA affects approximately two million people in the United States and the European Union. Existing treatments require monthly or every-other-month physician-administered intravitreal injections that can be burdensome for patients.

KRIYA-825 was designed with the following potential goals in mind:

• Robust complement inhibition: A novel complement receptor 2-complement receptor 1 (CR2-CR1) fusion protein—where the CR1 domain is designed to block the activity of both complement C3 and C5, while the CR2 domain is designed to bind to the surfaces of cells where complement fragments deposit and cause damage;
  
• Multi-year durability: AAV mediated continuous expression of CR2-CR1 fusion protein following a one-time injection to eliminate the need for frequent intravitreal injections as required by currently available therapies for GA; and
  
• Targeted delivery: One-time suprachoroidal injection to achieve transduction of, and delivery of therapeutic protein to, retinal cells while minimizing inflammation and overall patient burden.
  

KRIYA-825 has not been approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The clinical safety and efficacy of KRIYA-825 for the treatment of Geographic Atrophy has not yet been established.

About Kriya Therapeutics
Our mission is to revolutionize medicine, with the ultimate goal of eliminating human suffering and enabling people to live without the burden of disease. Kriya is a biopharmaceutical company developing gene therapies to address chronic diseases affecting millions of people around the world. With operations in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina and Palo Alto, California, Kriya has raised over $600 million to advance a broad pipeline of gene therapies for ophthalmology, metabolic disease and neurology. For more information, please visit www.kriyatx.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X (Formerly Twitter).

Media Contact:
                    Kelli Perkins
                    kelli@redhousecomms.com