TUCSON, Arizona., May 20, 2026 — Critical Path Institute® (C-Path) today announced the award of a $249,719 research grant to Odylia Therapeutics, a nonprofit biotechnology organization based in Atlanta. The awarded program and Odylia are led by Ashley Winslow, Ph.D., CEO and Chief Scientific Officer. The award is part of C-Path’s Bridging Research and Innovation in Drug Development Grants BRIDGe) program, offered through its Translational Therapeutics Accelerator.

The funded project aims to advance a gene therapy treatment for Usher Syndrome Type 1C (USH1C)-associated vision loss, a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by congenital bilateral hearing loss, vestibular dysfunction, and adolescent-onset retinitis pigmentosa. While cochlear implants can address hearing impairment early in life, no therapies currently exist to prevent or reverse the resulting vision loss from retinal degeneration. To address this unmet need, Odylia partnered with the Usher 2020 Foundation to pursue a treatment. Odylia’s investigational USH1C gene therapy, is designed to address the causative genetic mutation by delivering a functional copy of the USH1C gene to retinal cells using an adeno-associated virus (AAV) delivery system, with the goal of restoring or preserving vision.

Early preclinical studies supported by the Usher 2020 Foundation, demonstrated successful gene delivery, with expression of human USH1C transcript and protein, providing proof-of-concept for delivery to target cells. Building on these findings, Odylia plans to establish a scalable manufacturing process and conduct formal toxicology and biodistribution studies.

Dr. Winslow brings more than 15 years of experience in drug development to this work. She holds a Ph.D. in Medical Genetics from the University of Cambridge and completed her postdoctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and has worked in industry, academia, and nonprofits.

“This support from C-Path enables us to advance a promising gene therapy approach for USH1C-associated vision loss,” said Dr. Winslow. “At Odylia, we are committed to developing treatments for rare genetic diseases that are often overlooked, and this project represents an important step toward delivering meaningful therapies to patients and families.”

“C-Path is committed to advancing therapies for patients who currently have no treatment options,” said Maaike Everts, Ph.D., Executive Director of C-Path’s Translational Therapeutics Accelerator. “This project represents the kind of science we aim to support – innovative, translational, and focused on addressing the root cause of disease. We are excited to help accelerate this promising approach toward meaningful impact for individuals living with USH1C-associated vision loss.”

C-Path’s Translational Therapeutics Accelerator supports innovative drug development science across a wide range of disease areas, fostering collaborations that bridge academic discovery and therapeutic development to address unmet medical needs. To learn more, visit c-path.org/programs/trxa or contact the team at trxa@c-path.org.

About Critical Path Institute
Critical Path Institute (C-Path) is an independent, nonprofit established in 2005 as a public-private partnership, in response to the FDA’s Critical Path Initiative. C-Path’s mission is to lead collaborations that advance better treatments for people worldwide. Globally recognized as a pioneer in accelerating drug development, C-Path has established numerous international consortia, programs and initiatives that currently include more than 1,600 scientists and representatives from government and regulatory agencies, academia, patient organizations, disease foundations and pharmaceutical and biotech companies. With dedicated team members located throughout the world, C-Path’s global headquarters is located in Tucson, Arizona and C-Path’s Europe subsidiary is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands. For more information, visit c-path.org.

About C-Path’s Translational Therapeutics Accelerator

Critical Path Institute’s Translational Therapeutics Accelerator is a global drug accelerator focused on supporting academic scientists in advancing novel therapeutics from university-based labs to drug development pipelines of pharmaceutical companies and, ultimately, the clinic. As a nonprofit neutral convener of patient groups, academia, pharmaceutical companies and regulatory agencies, C-Path brings a breadth of scientific and drug development planning not available in other accelerator programs. C-Path’s accelerator is uniquely situated to leverage the expertise available through C-Path’s >20 disease-based consortia, as well as regulatory expertise and project management, to empower academic investigators to succeed in bringing safe and effective treatments to patients. For more information, visit c-path.org/trxa or email trxa@c-path.org.

About Odylia Therapeutics

Odylia Therapeutics is a nonprofit biotechnology organization dedicated to developing and advancing treatments for rare diseases. Through deep drug development expertise, innovative research, strategic collaborations, and patient-focused initiatives, Odylia works to overcome barriers to treatment development and bring new hope to patients around the world. Odylia partners with patient communities, researchers, clinicians, industry, and philanthropic donors to bring promising therapeutics to clinical trials. In addition to three gene therapies in development, Odylia partners with rare disease patient groups, early-stage biotechs, and academic researchers to further rare disease drug development efforts through Odylia’s Brydge Solutions program. Patient groups, companies, and researchers interested in learning more about Odylia Therapeutics’ services can email info@odylia.org and follow Odylia on LinkedIn (Odylia Therapeutics), Instagram (@OdyliaTx), and YouTube (@OdyliaTx). For additional information, visit https://odylia.org.