Ciliatech Raises $3.9 Million in Series A to Advance Glaucoma Implant

France’s Ciliatech announced April 25 that it had raised 3.5 million euros (US $3.9 million, calculated on April 26, 2023) in Series A funding to advance its glaucoma implant candidate.

The company said it would use the funding to initiate further clinical trials in Europe, with the goal of obtaining CE marking for its CID (Cilio-scleral Inter-positioning Device) by the end of 2024.

Ciliatech says its approach with the CID avoids the pitfalls of traditional glaucoma drainage devices—including endothelial cell loss—by leaving the anterior chamber completely intact and avoiding the formation of a filtration bleb.

The CID consists of a single piece of 26 percent hydrophilic acrylic, a material widely used in intraocular lenses. The flexible plate is 6 mm long, 4 mm wide, and 200 µm thick. Its faces and edges are grooved to maximize outflow to the choroid and sclera-conjunctival vessels.

The device is implanted between the ciliary body and the sclera using an ab externo approach. The incisions are then fully sealed, which Ciliatech says results in very low postoperative inflammation.

Results from a clinical trial in Armenia of the first-generation CID were reported March 29; 14 patients participated in the 24-month follow-up. All had primary open-angle glaucoma that was uncontrolled by medication; none had previously had glaucoma surgery. 

Ciliatech reported that 86 percent of patients were still medication-free at 24 months, and 78 percent of patients had an intraocular pressure below 18 mmHg. All were below 21 mmHg.

The company said results with a second-generation implant were even more promising. It expects to recruit for a new trial that will begin in Q2-2023 in Europe.