Beacon Therapeutics

A UK-headquartered gene therapy company developing treatments for inherited and age-related sight loss, spun out of the University of Oxford.

About Beacon Therapeutics

Beacon Therapeutics develops gene therapies for retinal diseases, the conditions in the back of the eye that can cause blindness. Its lead programme, laruzovec (AGTC-501), is in a late-stage trial for X-linked retinitis pigmentosa. It also has programmes in dry age-related macular degeneration and cone-rod dystrophy.

Beacon says it aims to restore and improve the vision of patients with retinal diseases.

The company launched in June 2023 as a University of Oxford spin-out, built on work from Professor Robert MacLaren's lab. Trade press describes it as UK-headquartered, but the pages we read did not name a city or office, so check where the team sits for the role you want.

It is closely tied to Oxford research and to the NHS-based trial network, which is a good sign if you like working between labs and clinics. We found no culture statement from the company itself.

We found no sourced internship, apprenticeship or graduate scheme. Look at Beacon's own careers page, and at Oxford University's spin-out and work experience routes if you study there.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Late-stage trial in X-linked retinitis pigmentosa.', 'title': 'Gene therapy for XLRP'}
• {'desc': 'Early programme for age-related macular degeneration.', 'title': 'Dry AMD programme'}
• {'desc': 'Early programme for an inherited eye disease.', 'title': 'Cone-rod dystrophy'}

Key facts

• Launched June 2023 as a University of Oxford spin-out
• Co-founder: Professor Robert MacLaren
• Described as UK-headquartered (trade press, July 2024)
• Programmes in three retinal diseases

Website: www.beacontx.com