News

New Scientific Advisory Board of world leaders in retinal research and clinical care joins Ikarovec

International experts to help drive company success as it launches its Series A fundraising

Norwich, UK, September 30 2025 – Ikarovec, a leader in ophthalmology gene therapy innovation with a sophisticated field-changing technology for the long-term relief of prevalent eye diseases, has established a world-leading Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of retinal research and clinical care specialists. The SAB, comprising a Clinical Translation Council and a Discovery Research Council, will advise the company across its activities from preclinical research through to clinical trials, regulatory affairs and key opinion leader engagement. Ikarovec has recently launched its >$40m Series A round to take its lead product, IKAR-001 for geographic atrophy (GA) with a secondary indication of retinitis pigmentosa (RP), through Phase I and II trials and to advance the pipeline.

Bringing together clinical retina specialists, vision scientists and gene therapy experts, the SAB has a strong international perspective including members from Australia, Israel, the UK and the US. With over 180,000 citations and in excess of 2,500 publications, it has exceptional scientific credibility plus clinical trial and regulatory approval experience.

IKAR-001, the first product from Ikarovec’s bicistronic gene therapy platform, takes a differentiated dual-pathway approach combining neuroprotection and complement modulation in a single treatment – unlike current approved GA therapies that target complement alone and require regular injections. This approach is designed to preserve vision rather than just slow its loss, while IKAR-002 for wet age-related macular degeneration combines anti-angiogenic and anti-fibrotic mechanisms. Experts on the SAB will bring further academic rigour and clinical development expertise in these areas.

Dr Thomas Ciulla, MD, MBA, President & CEO of Ikarovec, said, “To have such a stellar group of world leaders in retinal research and clinical care choosing to join our Scientific Advisory Board is both a validation of the potential of our bicistronic gene therapy approach and a great honour. We are delighted to have access to this level of expertise as we advance our bicistronic gene therapies with precision, innovation, and a commitment to addressing ophthalmic diseases that cause significant sight loss.”

The SAB¹ Clinical Translation Council members are:

• Robert L. Avery, MD – Founder and CEO of California Retina Consultants
• Dean Eliott, MD – Director Emeritus of the Mass Eye and Ear Retina Service and Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School  
• M. Dominik Fischer, MD, DPhil – Professor of Ophthalmology at University of Oxford, Centre for Ophthalmology Tübingen & University of Lausanne, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Oxford Eye Hospital
• Robyn H. Guymer, MD, PhD – Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Melbourne and Deputy Director of the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA)
• Allen C. Ho, MD, FACS – Attending Surgeon and Director of Retina Research at Wills Eye Hospital and Professor of Ophthalmology at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Past President of the Retina Society
• Anat Loewenstein, MD, MHA – Professor & Director of the Division of Ophthalmology at Tel Aviv Medical Center and Sydney Fox Chair of Ophthalmology at Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine, President EURetina
• Robert E. MacLaren, MD, DPhil -Professor of Ophthalmology at University of Oxford and Consultant Ophthalmologist at Oxford Eye Hospital, UK NIHR Senior Investigator
• Carl D. Regillo, MD, FACS – Director Retina Service Wills Eye Hospital & Professor of Ophthalmology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University
• Charles C. Wykoff, MD, PhD – Director of Research at Retina Consultants of Texas & Chairman of Research for Retina Consultants of America, Deputy Chair of Ophthalmology at Houston Methodist Hospital, Past President Vit-Buckle Society

The SAB¹ Discovery Research Council members are:

• Christine A. Curcio, PhD – Professor Emerita of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Rajendra Kumar-Singh, PhD -Professor of Developmental, Molecular and Chemical Biology at Tufts University School of Medicine

–ENDS—

¹ For full biographies and photos, please go to https://ikarovec.com/team/

For further information, please contact                      

Emma Palmer Foster, Communications                                + 44 (0)7880 787185

comms@ikarovec.com

Notes for Editors

About Ikarovec

Ikarovec is a leader in ophthalmology innovation, with a sophisticated field-changing technology for the long-term relief of prevalent eye diseases. The company’s flexible proprietary bicistronic gene therapy generates multiple synergistic therapeutic proteins where they are needed in the eye, bringing a differentiated approach to treating a range of large and growing ophthalmic disorders.

Its lead candidate, IKAR-001 (previously known as IKC159V), will proceed to geographic atrophy (GA) and gene-agnostic retinitis pigmentosa (RP, secondary indication) clinical trials supported by studies showing preservation of cells critical for vision. GA and RP lead to significant vision loss, affecting 6.5 million people worldwide. There are very limited treatment options for RP whilst current treatment options for GA (only approved in the US, Japan & Australia) require regular injections directly into the eye. Ikarovec’s novel bicistronic gene therapy leads to the expression of two therapeutically relevant proteins, targeting multiple causes of the disease with a single injection which is expected to be disease modifying. Follow-on programmes are targeting wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), intermediate age-related macular degeneration (iAMD) and other chronic poorly managed ophthalmic indications.

Ikarovec is directed by an international Board and management team with industry-leading ophthalmology and gene therapy expertise. This experience comes via Astellas, EyeBio, OXB (Oxford Biomedica), Spark Therapeutics and others. Ikarovec, which is based at the Norwich Research Park, is backed by LifeArc Ventures, Parkwalk Advisors and UKI2S. More information at www.ikarovec.com and on LinkedIn.