Octant Announces Collaboration with Foundation Fighting Blindness to Expand Uni-Rare Natural History Study with New RHO Cohort
In the Press
Four-year cohort will enroll participants with inherited retinal diseases caused by mutations in the RHO gene. Study is intended to deepen understanding of disease progression and inform future clinical trial design in rhodopsin-associated retinal disease.
Emeryville, CA and Columbia, MD– April 21, 2026 – Octant, Inc. (“Octant”), a clinical-stage drug discovery company developing correctors for protein misfolding diseases, today announced a collaboration with the Foundation Fighting Blindness to expand the Foundation’s Uni-Rare natural history study with a new cohort for people with inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) caused by mutations in the RHO gene.
The collaboration complements Octant’s lead inherited retinal disease program, OCT-980, an investigational oral small molecule being developed for rhodopsin-associated autosomal dominant Retinitis Pigmentosa (RHO-adRP). OCT-980 is currently in Phase 1 clinical testing as part of an ongoing Phase 1/2 study evaluating safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and efficacy. More information about the study is available on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT07408232).
“We are excited about this collaboration with Octant to expand our Uni-Rare study by adding a cohort of participants with RHO-adRP,” said Todd Durham, Senior Vice President, Clinical and Outcomes Research of the Foundation Fighting Blindness. “Information from this new cohort will directly inform the design of trials for RHO-adRP treatments. Just as important, this study allows us to evaluate the generalizability of findings from our other RP natural history cohorts.”
“High-quality natural history data are essential for understanding disease progression and for designing better studies in genetically defined retinal diseases,” said Sri Kosuri, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Octant. “This collaboration with the Foundation Fighting Blindness complements Octant’s broader efforts in RHO-adRP, including the clinical development of OCT-980, and we believe the data generated through this cohort can help inform future clinical trial design.”
Mutations in the RHO gene are a well-recognized cause of inherited retinal disease, including RHO-adRP, a form of retinitis pigmentosa that can lead to progressive vision loss and blindness. Despite progress in the field, additional longitudinal data are needed to better understand disease course and support the design of future patient studies.
About the Foundation Fighting Blindness
Established in 1971, the Foundation Fighting Blindness is the world’s leading private funding source for retinal degenerative disease research. The Foundation has raised nearly $1 billion toward its mission of accelerating research that will provide preventions, treatments, and cures for people affected by retinitis pigmentosa, Usher syndrome, Stargardt disease, Level congenital amaurosis, age-related macular degeneration, and the spectrum of retinal degenerative diseases.Visit FightingBlindness.org for more information.
About Octant
Octant is a clinical stage drug discovery company developing correctors for protein misfolding diseases. Octant’s platform, The Navigator, combines high-throughput synthetic biology, generative chemistry, and AI/ML to discover and develop therapeutics against complex cellular mechanisms in human cells. OCT-980 is a small molecule corrector for RHO associated autosomal dominant Retinitis Pigmentosa (RHO-adRP), and Octant’s pipeline includes several other programs across other rare diseases and oncology. For more information visit www.octant.bio.
