The Nobel Prize honors the discovery of light-gated ion channels. At Augelux, that discovery is now being tested as a way to restore sight.
WUHAN, China | October, 2026
Wuhan Hiteck Biological Pharma Co., Ltd. ("Hiteck", 300683.SZ) today extended its congratulations to Professor Peter Hegemann, Professor Georg Nagel and Professor Karl Deisseroth, who were awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on October 5 "for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics." Professor Nagel serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of Augelux Therapeutics, a Wuhan-based ophthalmic gene therapy company in which Hiteck holds an equity interest. Augelux's lead program, ZM-02, applies optogenetics to restore visual function in patients with advanced retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
A Discovery That Began With Algae
In the early 2000s, Professors Nagel and Hegemann identified and characterized channelrhodopsins, light-gated ion channels that the single-celled green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii uses to sense light. When introduced into other cells, these proteins allow light to switch cellular activity on and off with millisecond precision. Professor Deisseroth and colleagues developed that property into optogenetics, a technique that has since transformed how scientists study the brain.
Few would have predicted that research into how an alga finds light would one day reach the clinic. Two decades later, the same principle is being tested in the human eye.
From Controlling Cells to Restoring Vision
In retinitis pigmentosa, the light-sensing photoreceptors of the retina progressively degenerate, leading to severe vision loss. Other retinal cells often survive. Optogenetic gene therapy delivers a light-sensitive protein to these remaining cells, giving cells that were never designed to detect light the ability to respond to it. Because the approach does not rely on correcting a specific gene mutation, it may offer a path for patients regardless of the genetic cause of their disease.
This is the scientific premise behind ZM-02, Augelux's optogenetic gene therapy administered as a single intravitreal injection.
ZM-02: Clinical Progress
First-in-human MOON trial (NCT06292650), 52-week follow-up:
· ZM-02 demonstrated good safety and tolerability following a single intravitreal injection
· All 6 treated participants showed improvement in visual acuity from baseline
· 83.3% achieved a clinically meaningful improvement of at least 0.3 LogMAR in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA)
· Mean BCVA improvement at Week 52 was 0.61 LogMAR
Regulatory milestones:
· October 2024: Orphan Drug Designation granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
· November 2025: FDA clearance of PRISM (NCT07282457), an international, multicenter, randomized controlled Phase I/II trial
· August 2026: Clinical trial approval from China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) to conduct a registrational trial in China
Beyond ZM-02, Augelux's optogenetic gene therapy AGX-08 for geographic atrophy (GA) has received hospital ethics committee approval and is in preparation for clinical study. The company has built integrated in-house capabilities spanning light-sensitive protein design and engineering, gene delivery vector optimization, and ophthalmic gene therapy evaluation.
As a member of Augelux's Scientific Advisory Board, Professor Nagel provides scientific guidance on the company's optogenetics and vision restoration research.
A Familiar Path for Hiteck
Hiteck has seen this arc before. In 1986, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recognized the discovery of nerve growth factor (NGF). Hiteck later brought that science to patients with Jinlujie, the world's first approved NGF therapy, which has since benefited millions of patients.
That experience shapes how Hiteck builds and invests: in science with deep biological foundations, a credible route to the clinic, and teams capable of covering the distance between the two. Augelux reflects that conviction.
"Our warmest congratulations go to Professor Nagel, Professor Hegemann and Professor Deisseroth," said Ya Chen, Chairman of Hiteck. "Their work is a reminder that many of the most important medicines begin as questions no one thought were practical. A light-sensing protein from algae is now being tested as a way to help people see again. We are proud to support Augelux as it carries this science into the clinic."
About Professor Georg Nagel
Georg Nagel, Ph.D., is Professor of Molecular Plant Physiology at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (Department of Molecular Plant Physiology and Biophysics) and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Augelux Therapeutics. He studied biology and biophysics at the University of Konstanz and received his Ph.D. from Goethe University Frankfurt in 1988, conducting his doctoral research at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics. After postdoctoral research at Yale University and The Rockefeller University, he led an independent research group at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics from 1992 to 2004 before joining the University of Würzburg. With Professor Peter Hegemann, he discovered channelrhodopsin, laying the foundation for the field of optogenetics. His honors include the Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences (2010), the Karl Heinz Beckurts Prize (2010), the Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine (2013), The Brain Prize (2013), the Rumford Prize of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2019) and the Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine (2020). He was elected a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in 2015.
About Augelux Therapeutics
Augelux Therapeutics, founded in 2019 and headquartered in Wuhan, China, is a gene therapy company focused on inherited and degenerative retinal diseases. The company is dedicated to translating optogenetics into treatments for severe retinal disease. Its pipeline includes ZM-02 for retinitis pigmentosa, AGX-08 for geographic atrophy secondary to age-related macular degeneration, and ZM-01 for X-linked retinoschisis. Hiteck holds an equity interest in Augelux.
About Hiteck
Wuhan Hiteck Biological Pharma Co., Ltd. was founded in 1992 at the Medical School of Wuhan University and is a publicly listed biopharmaceutical company on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (stock code: 300683). Guided by its mission of "Innovating for Life," Hiteck focuses on oncology, neurology, and immunology, with a continued commitment to the development of innovative biologics and small molecule therapeutics. In oncology, Hiteck developed Aponermin, the world's first approved DR4 and DR5 agonist, which received regulatory approval in 2023 and was rapidly included in the national reimbursement program, introducing a novel therapeutic target for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. In neurology, the company translated Nobel Prize winning discoveries into clinical practice with Jinlujie, the world's first approved nerve growth factor (NGF) therapy, which has benefited millions of patients and established a benchmark in neurological disease treatment. Leveraging the HiSMART™ platform, Hiteck is advancing multiple innovative small molecule programs in parallel, and extends its reach into frontier modalities such as optogenetic gene therapy through strategic investments including Augelux Therapeutics.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the development of investigational therapies, including ZM-02 and AGX-08. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including those inherent in clinical development and regulatory review, and actual results may differ materially. ZM-02 and AGX-08 are investigational and have not been approved by any regulatory authority.
Company: Wuhan Hiteck Biological Pharma Co., Ltd.
Website: https://www.hiteckpharma.com/
Email: bd@hiteck.com.cn
Address: Hiteck Science and Technology Park, Wuhan Economic and Technological
Development Zone, Wuhan, Hubei Province, 430056, China
