Newsight Tech Angels backs US eye-disease biotech Eyegenex in follow-on round
What's the deal? Newsight Tech AngelsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → (NTA), a Tokyo-based life-science investor, has made a follow-on investment in EyegenexDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a San Diego biotech developing therapies for glaucoma and other blinding eye diseases. NTA first backed the company in September 2023. The amount was not disclosed.
What does Eyegenex do? It develops gene and peptide therapies for eye diseases that respond poorly to existing treatment, including glaucoma, NAION, and diabetic retinopathy. Its core technology is licensed from patents based on research by Professor Ram Nagaraj of the University of Colorado, the company's chief scientific advisor.
Why now? NTA said the follow-on funds the completion of Eyegenex's preclinical package and regulatory work toward a First in Human trial. Since the first investment, the company has completed non-human primate testing, gathered efficacy data, and added to its pipeline. In animal models, a single injection of its gene therapy nearly fully suppressed the decline in visual function.
The market gap: Glaucoma affects an estimated 80 million people worldwide and 3 million in the US. Current care — eye drops or surgery to lower eye pressure — only slows progression, and some patients deteriorate even under treatment.
What's the investor doing? NTA has served as a board observer since 2023, taking a hands-on role in management and R&D. It plans to keep that seat and help bridge Eyegenex's development into Japan and the wider Asia region.
"Glaucoma is a disease with an extremely large unmet medical need," said Noriyuki Yamamoto, founder and partner at NTA. "We are not merely a source of capital; we want to be a partner that moves development forward." (translated from Japanese)
The signal: The reinvestment reflects a bet on optic-nerve protection independent of eye pressure — a modality with no established treatment today. For NTA, staying on through the move toward the clinic signals conviction in a high-risk, high-need corner of biotech.
Image credit: Rum Bucolic Ape
