News & Press releases
VARIANT renforce sa plateforme de thérapie génique « polyvalente » avec un nouveau brevet ciblant les ciliopathies rétiniennes
Paris, le 28 novembre 2025 – VARIANT, société française spécialisée dans les thérapies géniques pour les maladies rares de la rétine, annonce le dépôt d’un nouveau brevet protégeant l’utilisation du…
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VARIANT strengthens its versatile gene therapy platform with a new patent targeting retinal ciliopathies
Paris, November 28, 2025 – VARIANT, a French company specializing in gene therapies for rare retinal diseases, announces the filing of a new patent protecting the use of the transcription…
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VARIANT Receives Positive Feedback from the European Medicines Agency(EMA) for its Innovative Gene Replacement Therapy, VAR002
PARIS – Variant and the Rare Ocular Diseases Center at the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli (UCLV) in Naples today announced that they have received positive feedback from the European…
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Denis CAYET, CEO
Our research team has demonstrated and patented the therapeutic potential of transcription factors, paving the way for a broader spectrum of treatments for inherited retinal diseases.
Our history
01
Vision Driven by Science—and by Experience
Variant was founded by Denis Cayet, who was himself diagnosed with a dominant form of macular dystrophy. His personal experience catalyzed the creation of a biotech company with a singular goal: finding curative treatments for retinal degenerations.
02
Scientific Leadership and Pipeline Origins
In 2017, Denis assembled a dedicated research team to establish proof-of-concept and secure intellectual property. The team included:
- Thomas Lamonnerie, expert in retinal transcription factors, who pioneered a novel antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) inhibition strategy (VAR003, currently in discovery).
- Jérôme Roger, a specialist in ophthalmic gene therapy, who initiated an expression-based approach using CRX, a master gene in photoreceptor development.
Less than two years later, VAR002, based on CRX gene delivery, showed strong efficacy in preclinical models of CRX-linked Leber Congenital Amaurosis.
03
Toward the Clinic—and Beyond
In 2024, Variant established a Translational Preclinical Task Force to prepare a first-in-human clinical trial in collaboration with Prof. Francesca Simonelli (Naples, Italy), targeting CRX-associated pathologies.
That same year, new research revealed that VAR002 may benefit a broader spectrum of IRDs, including certain ciliopathies such as CEP290-related LCA.
These discoveries open the door to expanding Variant’s therapeutic scope beyond monogenic diseases to more complex genetic syndromes.
Denis CAYET, CEO
The safe and powerful CRX master gene, encapsulated in VAR002, is now ready for multiple clinical trials targeting key inherited retinal diseases. A new step forward in gene therapy for vision restoration!