Tavo Biotherapeutics

About Tavo Biotherapeutics

OculoTherapy, LLC, operating as Tavo Biotherapeutics, is a biopharmaceutical company established to address unmet needs in ophthalmology. The company was founded as OculoTherapy, LLC in January 2014 by Dr. Monica M. Jablonski, who also serves as the Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Jablonski, a professor and researcher at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center with nearly 30 years of experience in ocular diseases, founded the company to translate her academic research into tangible products for patients with visual disorders. The technologies developed in her academic lab are exclusively licensed to the company.

The firm is focused on developing disease-modifying therapies to protect and enhance vision, particularly for glaucoma and retinal diseases. The business model centers on the research and development of novel drug formulations, with the goal of licensing these technologies for commercialization. Revenue generation is anticipated through upfront payments, milestones, and royalties from licensing agreements with larger pharmaceutical partners. The company actively seeks non-dilutive funding and has successfully secured multiple Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants from the National Eye Institute and funding from the state of Tennessee.

Tavo Biotherapeutics' pipeline includes two primary candidates. TAV-001 is a topical microemulsion-based formulation for glaucoma-related neurodegeneration, designed for once-daily application. This product aims to overcome the challenges of current treatments by providing a sustained release of medication to lower intraocular pressure (IOP) more effectively. Pre-clinical studies indicate it can reduce IOP by 40% for at least 24 hours and shows signs of neuroprotection. The second candidate, TAV-002, is being developed as a potential first-in-class treatment for retinal diseases such as diabetic macular edema, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The company has assembled an experienced leadership team to guide its clinical and financial strategy, including CEO Gary Berman, an executive with over 20 years of experience in scaling biopharma companies.