LEP Biomedical Secures Pre-Seed Funding to Advance HyaGuard Platform
LEP Biomedical announced pre-seed funding of €100,000 ($107,000) over two 6-month periods, which the company says will allow for further preclinical milestones in the development of the HyaGuard platform. The funding was made through Enterprise Ireland.
Innovative Design of HyaGuard
According to LEP Biomedical, HyaGuard consists of a 3D printed, drug-loaded mesh surrounded by an outer hydrogel and is inserted into the sub-conjunctival space as part of standard glaucoma surgery. The soft outer gel presents a smooth surface for surrounding tissues and allows simple insertion without the need for bespoke applicators.
The tapered 3D printed drug-loaded mesh delivers anti-inflammatory drugs in a controlled manner from 1-3 months depending on drug load. HyaGuard is designed to inhibit inflammation and fibrosis at key stages of the wound healing process thereby eliminating patient-administered drugs and repeat surgical procedures.
“This pre-seed funding by Enterprise Ireland will enable us to take big strides in our quest to lower failure rates in glaucoma surgery,” said Alan Hibbitts, PhD, CEO of LEP Biomedical, in a company news release. “We’ll establish concrete routes to achieve both regulatory approvals as well as establishing reimbursement for HyaGuard in the most relevant markets.”
Expert Opinion on HyaGuard’s Potential
"Postoperative scarring in glaucoma surgeries and its negative effect on success rates are ever-present. Unfortunately, emerging approaches to directly address this issue are few and far between. LEP Biomedical and HyaGuard offer a promising new solution to glaucoma surgery's longest running problem. I look forward to following their development and look forward to seeing it in the clinic soon," said Inder Paul Singh, MD, President of The Eye Centers of Racine & Kenosha, in Wisconsin.
LEP Biomedical is a spin-out from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) School of Anatomy and Regenerative Medicine in Dublin.
