Aurion Biotech develops regenerative cell therapies to treat blindness and vision loss caused by corneal endothelial disease. Their lead program, AURN001, uses donor endothelial cells to replace dysfunctional cells, aiming to restore corneal clarity without relying solely on traditional donor transplantation. The company focuses on scalable manufacturing and quality testing to expand global access to advanced ophthalmology treatments.
Funding
$205.5M raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
DFounders
Product
Problem
Corneal endothelial diseases, such as bullous keratopathy, lead to the malfunction or death of corneal endothelial cells, which do not replicate in vivo. The resulting corneal clouding impairs vision, causing blurred vision, glares, halos, and discomfort, potentially leading to blindness if untreated. Traditional treatments rely on corneal transplantation, but the supply of donor corneas is chronically insufficient to meet the global demand.
Solution
Aurion Biotech develops and commercializes Vyznova (neltependocel), an allogeneic cell therapy for treating corneal endothelial diseases like bullous keratopathy. Vyznova utilizes a proprietary process to propagate corneal endothelial cells in vitro, enabling the production of up to 1,000 doses from a single donor. The therapy is administered via a minimally invasive procedure, restoring the function of damaged corneal endothelial cells and improving corneal transparency. This approach addresses the unmet need for effective and accessible treatments, offering a regenerative medicine solution to restore vision for patients suffering from sight-threatening corneal conditions.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes ophthalmologists and corneal specialists treating patients with corneal endothelial diseases, as well as patients suffering from bullous keratopathy and other sight-threatening corneal conditions.
Features
- Allogeneic cell therapy utilizing neltependocel for corneal endothelial repair
- Proprietary in vitro cell propagation process enabling large-scale production from a single donor
- Minimally invasive procedure for cell delivery
- Clinically validated to restore corneal endothelial function and improve vision
- Regulatory and reimbursement approval in Japan
- Granted Breakthrough Therapy designation and Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy designation from the U.S. FDA