Partially based on research at Duke University, Camras Vision is working on a treatment for refractory glaucoma.
Camras Vision, a US-based medical device manufacturer exploiting research from Duke University, raised $5.7m in a series A round on Monday co-led by VCapital, InFocus Capital Partners and Triangle Venture Alliance.
Triangle Angel Partners, IMAF Coastal Plain, Pilot Mountain Ventures and assorted angel investors also took part in the round.
Camras Vision is developing a therapy for glaucoma, a condition that causes pressure to build up in the eye and leads to blindness. Patients are currently treated through a combination of therapies that aim to normalise pressure, but no drug or surgery exists to guarantee a positive outcome.
Camras has created a device that drains aqueous humour externally, avoiding scaring and potential failure associated with other incisional or shunt surgeries. The aqueous humour is the watery fluid secreted by the eye’s lens.
The company is based on initial work by the late ophthalmologist Carl Camras, who held more than 550 patents and invented eye drops sold under the brand name Xalatan to treat eye pressure.
His daughter, Lucinda Camras, continued his work in 2009 and co-founded Camras Vision. She has been collaborating with Bruce Klitzman, professor of biomedical engineering at Duke University, and Rand Allingham and Sanjay Asrani, glaucoma specialists in the Duke Eye Center.
Camras Vision will use the series A funding to support four clinical trials, including a pilot study in the US.
The company previously obtained almost $1.3m in seed funding in 2016, according to a regulatory filing. Triangle Angel Partners, IMAF Coastal Plain, and Pilot Mountain Ventures were identified as returning investors for the series A round.
