Pantheon Vision – an early-stage ophthalmic medical device company – recently announced it raised $2.5 million in seed financing from KeraLink International (KLI). The company is developing bioengineered implants to raise the standard of eye care globally and reduce reliance on donated corneal tissue, often unavailable in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Pantheon Vision will engage the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the coming months to guide plans for global product development. And this initial investment in Pantheon Vision was made by KeraLink International, a non-profit organization singularly focused on bringing clinicians, technology innovators, healthcare providers, philanthropists, and investors together to eradicate corneal blindness with an emphasis on LMICs.
Pantheon Vision is led by ophthalmic industry veteran John Sheets, Ph.D. Dr. Sheets has led companies including Hoya and Elisar and R&D organizations at Alcon, Bausch & Lomb, and Johnson & Johnson. Plus he also headed the Office of Device Evaluation at the FDA. The company comprises additional ophthalmic industry executives and is supported by a world-class Scientific Advisory Board.
KEY QUOTES:
“We are thrilled to have KeraLink provide our initial funding to establish Pantheon Vision as a company dedicated to bringing groundbreaking ophthalmic innovations to patients worldwide. This funding enables us to advance our program to eradicate corneal blindness and restore vision.”
— John Sheets, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Pantheon Vision
“We are pleased to have established Pantheon Vision and provided the initial funding to develop a tissue substitute to restore sight. With additional funding, Pantheon can accelerate its product development and further the KeraLink mission, which is based on the premise that being able to see should not depend on where you were born.”
— Doug Furlong, Chairman of the Board of Directors, KeraLink International
