Brightstar Therapeutics announced it has secured Series A financing to fund the launch of its long-term, solution-based approach to treating persistent epithelial defects (PED) and limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) with an innovative corneal allograft.
Talk about this corneal allograft first.
The BrightMEM corneal allograft promotes durable regeneration of the corneal epithelium while providing protection to the underlying stromal treatment.
The technology is aseptically processed from donated human tissue (cornea) in accordance with the FDA’s current Good Tissue Practices (cGTP) regulations.
Click here to see how the procedure works.
Now the financing.
The company’s funding round was led by Saving Sight and included Miracles in Sight; University of Minnesota Discovery Capital; and VisionFirst Indiana Lions Eye Bank.
How will it be used?
Brightstar is planning to launch clinical trials for BrightMEM, with the intent to expand its usage by corneal surgeons across the United States.
Additionally, the company intends to use its patented technology in order to grow a pipeline of cell therapy products.
Anything else to know?
Yes! Brightstar also announced new leadership changes: Joseph Tauber, MD, has been appointed Chief Medical Officer, and Joshua Hou, MD, is the new Chief Scientific Officer.
Give me some background on Dr. Tauber.
Dr. Tauber practices in Kansas City, Missouri, and specializes in the fields of ocular surface and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD); he has also served as principal investigator in 150+ research studies on high-risk corneal transplantation, inflammation and allergic eye disease, corneal infectious disease, and dry eye disease.
And Dr. Hou?
Dr. Hou is an Associate Professor and the Lyon Chair of Ophthalmology in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences at the University of Missouri—where he runs a National Institute of Health (NIH)-funded laboratory focusing on donor corneal tissue processing and therapies for ocular surface disease (OSD) treatments.