Blind person with guide dog
Adobe Stock
The Market Online - At The Bell

Join our daily newsletter At The Bell to receive exclusive market insights

Biotech player PYC Therapeutics (ASX:PYC) has dosed its first patient in a clinical trial seeking to ameliorate symptoms of Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy (ADAO).

The condition is one which causes blindness and is commonly believed to be passed down from parents to children. For all intents and purposes, the disease is rare.

Blindness often occurs in the patients’ twenties according to at least one author; PYC has been developing a drug of interest designed to treat the condition which it estimates affects one in 35,000 people.

On Friday, the company officially flagged its commencement of human trials.

Conducting a Single Ascending Dose (SAD) study, the company is currently testing that drug in an 18-month clinical data run.

The company is intending to shape up safety credentials; provide data for a larger scaled up study in the first half of next year, and, for a larger yet trial in 2026.

Notably, PYC’s drug – called “PYC-001” – has been noted as an emerging drug of interest by the US healthcare regulator FDA. Currently, there are no real treatments for ADAO.

PYC-001 is described on the company’s website as a “disease-modifying drug” which is ultimately an RNA therapy – RNA being the second component to human genetic coding alongside DNA.

The treatment is injected directly into the eye in what is known as an intravitreal injection.

“PYC today announces that the first ADOA patient enrolled in its Single Ascending Dose study of PYC-001 has now received their initial dose of the drug candidate. The patient has received a 3 µg dose of PYC-001 in one eye via intravitreal administration,” the company wrote on Friday.

PYC last traded at 18.5cps.

Join the discussion: See what HotCopper users are saying about PYC Therapeutics and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

PYC by the numbers
More From The Market Online
US and VNZ flag

Week 2 CY26, wrapped: Geopolitics here to stay & there’s money in gold detectors

What does it say about the larger world when the United States government effectively kidnaps the President of Venezuela, and, while bodacious, it’s
The Market Online Video

HotCopper Highlights for Week 2 of 2026: 4D Medical, Pilbara Minerals, SILEX & more

Greetings and welcome to HotCopper Highlights for the end of Week 2 of 2026, I’m Jon Davidson.
A HotCopper-branded graphic image which reads "The HotList Top 10: This week's most watchlisted ASX stocks" in front of an ASX chart image faded in the background.

HotList stocks: Manuka, 4DX, Adalta, and other trending companies in Week 2

Manuka Resources topped the HotCopper HotList through Week 2, though health tech developers Adalta and 4DX…
Metal detector

They say you should sell shovels in a gold rush. Codan’s got a smarter idea

Codan has notched gains just south of +20% on Friday, coming out of the blue as…