Ikerian, parent company of RetinAI, secures USD 6.18 million for AI-driven medical advancements

Ikerian AG, along with its subsidiary RetinAI, has successfully completed a USD 6.18 million Series A extension financing round to propel the development and commercial rollout of innovative medical technologies.

Founded in 2016 and based in Bern, RetinAI develops software tools that leverage machine learning to manage and analyze medical imaging data efficiently. The company’s mission is to transform the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma through innovative AI-driven solutions that enhance early detection and facilitate ongoing disease management.

The latest financing round by RetinAI’s mother company, Ikerian, was prominently led by the Corporate Venture Capital arm of Topcon Healthcare, Inc., with significant contributions from Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB) and longstanding partners including the btov Industrial Technologies fund managed by Matterwave Ventures, Verve Ventures, and various private investors. This strategic injection of capital will facilitate Ikerian’s expansion into new therapeutic areas such as neurodegenerative disorders, vascular conditions, and rare diseases, while continuing to enhance their pioneering work in ophthalmology and optometry through RetinAI.

RetinAI, known for its cutting-edge application of AI in ophthalmic diagnostics, has been a frontrunner in transforming clinical and pharmaceutical research workflows. “The successful closing of this financing confirms the importance of our AI technology to re-invent workflows for clinical and pharmaceutical research to support more efficient and effective patient care,” stated Dr. Carlos Ciller, Chairman and CEO of Ikerian and RetinAI.

A leap forward in utilizing AI to enhance healthcare outcomes

The funds will specifically bolster the development efforts of RetinAI’s Discovery platform and their comprehensive pipeline of AI technologies. This includes expanding the Real-World Evidence (RWE) database across various eye diseases such as Geographic Atrophy (GA), Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration (nAMD), and Diabetic Retinopathy (DR), enhancing the company’s capacity to support pharmaceutical and clinical research.

Dr. Sandro De Zanet, Chief Scientific Officer at Ikerian and RetinAI, highlighted the strategic importance of the company’s RWE insights. “Having a portfolio of RWE insights allows RetinAI to deliver even greater value to pharma by accelerating clinical studies and enriching AI-based data analysis to support future treatments,” he explained. The Discovery tool and AI biomarkers developed by RetinAI are set to revolutionize patient screening and analysis across vast imaging datasets, simplifying the clinical trial processes.