KeraLink International Provides $2.5 Million in Seed Funding to Enable Development of Bioengineered Corneal Implants

KeraLink International (KLI) announced $2.5 million in seed funding in Pantheon Vision (PV) to launch the development of a novel advancement to help eradicate corneal blindness in both developed and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Pantheon Vision, an early-stage ophthalmic medical device company KLI established, will use the funding to develop bioengineered corneal implants to reduce reliance on donated corneal tissue—often unavailable in LMICs. By funding PV, KLI is engaged in a venture philanthropy strategy as part of its PEN approach to eradicating corneal blindness: prevention of corneal blindness, early detection and treatment of corneal conditions, and novel therapies that are effective and affordable for broad use in underserved and under-resourced LMICs.

“Development of novel therapeutic solutions is costly but critical to fulfilling our mission of eradicating corneal blindness,” Douglas J. Furlong, KLI Board Chairman, said in a company news release. “We are proud to support Pantheon Vision’s promising work and anticipate a return on this investment that will allow us to fund additional innovative products, technologies, and services.”

Ophthalmic industry veteran John Sheets, PhD, leads Pantheon Vision. Dr. Sheets has led companies including Hoya and Elisar, and R&D organizations at Alcon, Bausch + Lomb, and Johnson & Johnson. He also served the Food and Drug Administration heading its Office of Device Evaluation.