Astellas Pharma Inc. has announced a research collaboration with Constance L Cepko, Ph.D., an investigator at Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, focused on discovering the pathologic mechanism for retinitis pigmentosa and identification of new therapeutic targets. Astellas and Harvard will work with the aim to provide a new treatment option with a view of a gene therapy, to retinitis pigmentosa patients who have difficulty maintaining good vision.