Boehringer Ingelheim invests in Eyevensys

BIVF's investment in Eyevensys marks the beginning of the company's next funding round, which is set to be completed by June this year and is targeting a value of more than €5m, the company said. The funding will enable the company to take its non-viral gene therapy through pre-clinical trials and to completion of Phase IIa clinical trials within the next 18 months.

The company's past investors, which participated in a €1.6m round in January 2012, also intend to participate in this second round of funding, the company said in a statement. They include Innobio, managed by CDC Entreprises, Inserm Transfert Initiative and CapDecisif Management.

This was BIVF's sixth investment since the launch of its €100m fund in 2010. Previously backed companies include AMP Therapeutics, Promethera Biosciences – which the VC backed in March 2012 – and the Inserm Transfert Initiative, a company specialising in investing seed capital in start-ups coming out of academic research (and a past investor in Eyevensys).

The investor used internal resources to advise on the deal.

Company
Eyevensys is a developer of a new non-viral gene therapy process to treat ocular illnesses. The new process enables prolonged production of therapeutic proteins through electrotransfer and is aimed at treating uveitis and AMD. In stage two, Eyevensys will focus on treating more common conditions such as diabetic retinopathy.

The company was founded in Paris in 2009 by Francine Behar-Cohen, professor of medicine at Paris Descartes University, head of ophthalmology at l'Hotel Dieu and director of team 17 at Inserm UMRS872. The business now employs five people.

People
Michel Pairet is Boehringer Ingelheim's head of non-clinical research and development. He will join Eyevensys's board of directors as part of the deal.

Advisers
Company – Fidal (Legal). 

• Tweet  
• Facebook  
• LinkedIn  
• Google plus  
• Send to  

• Topics
• Early-stage
• France
• Healthcare
• France