Healome Therapeutics secures £2 million to advance eye drop technology

Healome Therapeutics issued a press release announcing that it has closed a £2 million first official round of equity funding led by Empirical Ventures. Other participants include DEBRA Research, Cure EB, Oshen Bio, and existing investor SFC Capital.

The financing will support continued preclinical development, manufacturing scale-up, regulatory engagement, and progression toward first-in-human studies expected in 2027, the company described.

Healome is developing a technology with the goal of transforming the current standard of care in eye drop-based treatment. Because conventional eye drops are retained on the ocular surface for a very short period of time, ie, minutes, patient dosing can reach 20 times a day. This becomes a high treatment burden for those treating chronic conditions. This proprietary technology combines drug retention, lubrication, and protection, for a range of diseases that affect the ocular surface.

The press release explained that Healome’s proprietary eye drop-matrix behaves like a liquid when it is dropped on the eye, and then restructures on the ocular surface to form a clear, lubricating, protective matrix that can deliver a broad range of drugs, from small molecules to complex biologics.

“Eye drops remain the primary delivery mechanism in ophthalmology, yet conventional formulations clear from the ocular surface within minutes. Using our matrix to extend the residence time of novel and existing therapeutics opens the door to reduced dosing, better adherence and ultimately improved outcomes across a range of indications. This financing lets us drive the platform toward the clinic,” according to Richard Williams, CEO of Healome Therapeutics.

Polymers facilitate longer residence time

The technology is comprised of pharmaceutical- and food-grade polymers structured into proprietary architectures that avoid complex chemical modifications that can create manufacturing or regulatory issues. The company holds five patent families covering the underlying matrix architecture.

This technology has already been used to deliver a biologic drug to prevent scarring in a standard preclinical model of severely injured and infected corneas. This results in rapid corneal healing with minimal adverse effects.

The conditions that will be addressed with this treatment are dry eye disease, ocular surface inflammation, corneal injury, rare diseases associated with severe ocular surface damage, and chronic drug delivery, according to the press release.

Broad application

More than 350 million individuals globally are affected by dry eye. Considering this, Johnathan Matlock, cofounder and general partner at Empirical Ventures, stated, “Healome targets a quantifiable bottleneck, the drug residence time on the ocular surface, with a manufacturing-friendly approach built on well-characterized polymers. The approach and data, demonstrating how the team is building on 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.”

Rare disease target: epidermolysis bullosa

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a rare genetic condition that affects about 500,000 people globally; of these, an estimated 5% to 20% experience ocular complications that include chronic pain and recurrent corneal abrasions with a high risk of sight-threatening scarring.

The investment from DEBRA Research and Cure EB will support Healome’s work on EB-associated ocular complications.

“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. With this investment, we are continuing our commitment to accelerate the development of treatments that address the urgent unmet needs of people living with EB,” said Christoph Coch, MD, managing director at DEBRA Research, in the release.

According to Sharmila Collins, Founder Trustee at Cure EB, “Corneal abrasions in people with severe forms of EB lead to temporary blindness, excruciating pain and the need for hourly eye drops applications throughout the day. The availability of an eye drop that requires less frequent dosing would improve the quality of life of those suffering the ocular manifestations of EB.”

Reference:

1. Healome Therapeutics secures £2m in oversubscribed seed round to advance eye drop technology. News release. Healome Therapeutics. July 7, 2026. Accessed July 10, 2026.