USA – Claris Bio, a Jersey City, NJ-based late-clinical stage biotechnology company, raised $57M in funding.
Backers included Novo Holdings A/S, RA Capital and Mass General Brigham Ventures and recent investor, Janus Henderson Investors.The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its development efforts.Initially funded in 2020, and led by CEO Clarke Atwell, Claris Bio is developing a recombinant human variant hepatocyte growth factor, dHGF, to accelerate and improve the quality of corneal healing in patients with corneal eye disease. Its lead program, CSB-001 Ophthalmic Solution 0.1% (oremepermin-α), brings a topical ocular biologic solution of dHGF, a molecule with the potential to restore structural and functional corneal integrity, to eyes with neurotrophic keratopathy (NK). Oremepermin-α is epitheliotropic, neurotrophic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fibrotic, suggesting it could be an efficacious and safe option to treat many current unmet needs in diseases of the cornea. Claris expects to complete enrollment in its late-stage multi-center, randomized, double-masked, vehicle-controlled, parallel-group study, with a data readout expected in 1H2024.In addition to Mr. Atwell, the Claris leadership team includes CMO Susan Orr, OD, and Chief Business Officer Henry Rath. Scientific cofounders include Dr. Reza Dana, MD, MSc, MPH, and Dr. Sunil Chauhan, DVM, PhD., both from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear and the Harvard Medical School Department of Ophthalmology.08/01/2024
