LambdaVision, a Connecticut-based biotech company developing a protein-based artificial retina to help restore lost vision due to retinal degeneration diseases, has secured the first close of its seed round.
According to the company’s announcement on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, the funding round was led by Aurelia Foundry Fund— a spin-out of MIT. The round also included contributions from Boryung, a publicly-traded Korean pharmaceutical company and E2MC Ventures. To date, the company has raised over $17 million.
LambdaVision GMP will use the targeted capital amount to scale up its manufacturing and support its critical IND-enabling efficacy and toxicity studies, taking it closer to initially targeted clinical trials for blind patients suffering from advanced retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
LambdaVision’s artificial retina is the first protein-based, aimed at helping people who ended up being blind due to advanced retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) regain meaningful sight.
The company’s protein-based artificial retina is produced through a layer-by-layer process featuring alternating layers of protein, bacteriorhodopsin, and a polymer. These layers are supported by synthetic fiber-based membranes, a material that the medical community has used for years.
By using materials more similar to the human visual pigment rhodopsin, LambdaVision’s artificial retina mimics the light absorption capabilities of human photoreceptors, activating neuroreceptors present in degenerated retinas to restore vision.
While preclinical studies will be conducted on Earth, LambdaVision is looking to leverage the effects of microgravity on protein layers to optimize the assembly of the artificial retina in low-earth orbit, improving efficiency and product quality.
