Vinci raises $8M Series A to advance needle-free retinal drug implant
What's the deal? Vinci PharmaceuticalsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a specialty ophthalmic company based in Avon-by-the-Sea, New Jersey, has closed a Series A financing of more than $8 million. Dynagrow CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → led the round, with support from MintPharma CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
What's the endgame? The money will fund GMP manufacturing, testing and release activities for Vinci's EPIPLANT VCI-002 product, plus a planned Phase 1/2a clinical study in 2027. EPIPLANT is an episcleral implant designed to provide sustained drug delivery to retinal tissues.
Why it matters: Current treatments for retinal diseases often require injections directly into the eye, a burden that drives high patient dropout rates. EPIPLANT aims to deliver drugs to the macula without a needle, and its bioerodible platform can accommodate multiple active ingredients.
The platform was developed in the laboratory of Karl Csaky and licensed from the Retina Foundation of the SouthwestDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → in Dallas. Vinci has secured multiple patents and completed preliminary preclinical testing.
What they're saying: "This financing supports an important next step: preparing for our first-in-human study," said Philip A. Gioia, co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer.
Sarah Hassan, managing director at Dynagrow Capital, called the technology "a potential paradigm shift for eye doctors and their patients facing retinal disease challenges," pointing to a needle-free system that "could dramatically increase adherence time for patients."
Combined with an earlier Seed round of $8.5 million, excluding interest on convertible notes, Vinci has now raised more than $16.5 million.
The signal: At $8 million, the round sits in the lower band of Series A deals, a size that fits an early-stage biotech still years from market. For Vinci, it buys the runway to reach the clinic — where EPIPLANT's needle-free premise will face its first real test in humans.
Read more: prnewswire.com
Image credit: Vinci Pharmaceuticals
