Healome Therapeutics Raises £2 Million Seed Funding to Advance Eye-Drop Matrix Platform for Ocular Surface Diseases
Key Insights
Healome Therapeutics (search) closed a £2 million oversubscribed seed round led by Empirical Ventures (search) to advance its proprietary eye-drop matrix technology toward first-in-human studies expected in 2027.
The platform uses structured polymers that behave as a liquid when applied and then restructure into a protective matrix, extending drug residence time on the ocular surface.
Proceeds will fund preclinical development, manufacturing scale-up, and regulatory engagement with the MHRA and FDA across dry eye disease (search), corneal injury, and rare ocular complications.
University of Birmingham spinout Healome Therapeutics (search) has closed a £2 million oversubscribed seed financing round to advance its proprietary eye-drop matrix technology, a platform designed to overcome the fundamental limitation of conventional eye drops: rapid clearance from the ocular surface. The round was led by Empirical Ventures (search), with participation from DEBRA Research (search), Cure EB (search), Oshen Bio (search), and existing investor SFC Capital (search).
The financing will support preclinical development, manufacturing scale-up, regulatory engagement with both the UK's MHRA and the US FDA, and progression toward first-in-human studies expected in 2027.
Addressing a persistent drug delivery challenge
Conventional eye drops clear from the ocular surface within minutes, forcing dosing regimens of up to 20 times per day and contributing to treatment adherence rates as low as 20% in chronic-use populations. Dry eye disease (search) alone — the most well-known ocular surface condition — carries an estimated global market size of $5 billion and affects over 350 million people worldwide. The broader ocular surface disease opportunity exceeds $12 billion across multiple indications.
Healome's platform takes a fundamentally different approach. The eye-drop matrix behaves like a liquid when dropped onto the eye, then restructures to form a clear, lubricating, and protective matrix that extends drug residence time. The technology can deliver a range of therapeutic payloads, from small molecules to complex biologics.
In a standard preclinical model of severely injured and infected corneas, the platform successfully delivered an anti-scarring biologic drug, resulting in rapid corneal healing with minimal side effects.
A manufacturing-friendly platform with broad potential
Healome holds five patent families covering the underlying matrix architecture, which is built on established pharmaceutical- and food-grade polymers structured into proprietary architectures. This approach deliberately avoids complex chemical modifications that can create manufacturing or regulatory hurdles.
The platform is being developed across multiple indications: dry eye disease (search), ocular surface inflammation, corneal injury, rare diseases associated with severe ocular surface damage, and chronic drug delivery.
"Using our matrix to extend residence time of novel and existing therapeutics opens the door to reduced dosing, better adherence and ultimately improved outcomes across a range of indications," said Richard Williams, CEO of Healome Therapeutics (search). "This financing lets us drive the platform toward the clinic."
Rare disease focus: Epidermolysis Bullosa (search)
A notable portion of the investment comes from DEBRA Research (search) and Cure EB (search), two organizations dedicated to finding treatments for Epidermolysis Bullosa (search) (EB), a rare genetic condition affecting approximately 500,000 people globally. An estimated 5–20% of EB patients experience ocular complications, including chronic pain and recurrent corneal abrasions with a high risk of sight-threatening scarring.
Dr. Christoph Coch, MD, Managing Director at DEBRA Research (search), emphasized the unmet need: "For many people living with EB, the condition not only affects the skin but also the eyes. Blistering and wounds can occur spontaneously or be triggered by friction, dryness or irritation, often leading to severe pain, impaired vision and a significant impact on daily life. As there are currently no specific treatments for these ocular complications, we look forward to supporting Healome in their effort to develop patient-friendly and effective therapeutic approaches in this area."
Investor conviction in a platform approach
Johnathan Matlock, Co-Founder and General Partner at Empirical Ventures (search), framed the investment as a bet on a category-defining platform rather than an incremental formulation improvement: "Healome targets a quantifiable bottleneck — drug residence time on the ocular surface — with a manufacturing-friendly approach built on well-characterised polymers. The approach and the data, demonstrating how the team are building upon this to unlock further therapeutic value on the eye, is what convinced us this is a category-defining platform rather than an incremental formulation play, with credible read-across from dry eye through to rare ocular diseases."
Founding team and scientific foundation
Healome was co-founded by Professor Liam Grover, Professor Tony Metcalfe, Dr. Richard Moakes, and Dr. Richard Williams, who serves as CEO. The team combines over 80 years of experience across biomaterials, regenerative medicine, and drug development, with six peer-reviewed publications underpinning the research that originated at the University of Birmingham's Healthcare Technologies Institute.