BIOELECTRIC MEDICINE • OCULAR SURFACE REPAIR
Topical bioelectric therapy for corneal repair
Galvanis is developing OcuRegen™, an eye-drop program for persistent corneal epithelial defects, where stalled closure can lead to pain, infection, scarring, and vision loss.
Lead indication: persistent corneal epithelial defects (PCED).
MEASURABLE BIOLOGY
Human donor-cornea studies show wound currents can be measured and pharmacologically modulated.
VISIBLE ENDPOINTS
Closure is local, imageable, and tracked with fluorescein staining.
TOPICAL DELIVERY
Eye drops designed to act locally without electrodes, implants, or hardware.
Persistent corneal epithelial defects are surface wounds that remain open despite supportive care. As closure stalls, patients can move from lubrication, antibiotics, and bandage contact lenses to serum tears, amniotic membrane, tarsorrhaphy, grafting, or transplant.
Galvanis is starting here because the treatment is local, the endpoint is visible, and time-to-closure can be measured directly.
~100,000 cases per year (U.S.).
Objective endpoint: complete epithelial closure by fluorescein imaging.
Escalation can add procedural burden, facility dependence, and higher cost; Medicare charges ~$95.6M (2020) on sutureless amniotic membrane grafts.
When corneal defects do not close, care escalates
OPPORTUNITY
No topical therapy is approved specifically for persistent corneal epithelial defects in the United States.
Corneal wound currents guide epithelial repair
Why the eye is the right first market
The corneal epithelium maintains a transepithelial potential. When the surface is wounded, that potential is short-circuited and generates wound-directed currents.
Human donor-cornea studies show that these currents can be measured and pharmacologically modulated. Galvanis is translating that biology into a topical therapeutic program, advancing only the candidates that clear predefined wound-current, barrier-safety, and closure gates.
A team built for corneal bioelectric repair
Cody Rasmussen-Ivey, PhD
Founder & CEO
Bioelectricity and regenerative medicine scientist. Built technology for a DARPA-funded bioelectric wound program. Former Colossal Biosciences.
Role
Mechanism translation, candidate strategy, IP/FTO, and CRO execution.
Min Zhao, M.D., Ph.D.
Scientific Advisor, Bioelectric Wound Repair
Professor of Ophthalmology, UC Davis. Pioneer in wound electric fields, corneal electrophysiology, and electrically guided cell migration.
Role
Wound-current assays, pharmacodynamic readouts, and mechanism review.
Mark Mannis, M.D. FACS
Clinical Advisor
Cornea and ocular surface specialist. Former Chair of Ophthalmology, UC Davis. Former President, Eye Bank Association of America.
Role
Indication strategy, clinical relevance, and endpoint review.
Investor snapshot
Galvanis is raising $1M to nominate the first OcuRegen™ lead candidate and generate rabbit wound-closure data in 24 weeks. Full materials available upon request.
OcuRegen™ is a topical eye drop program for persistent corneal epithelial defects. These are wounds on the surface of the eye that fail to close and can progress to pain, infection, scarring, and vision loss.
The program builds on published human donor-cornea studies showing that wound currents can be measured and pharmacologically modulated. OcuRegen™ is designed to improve epithelial closure through topical pharmacology without electrodes, implants, or hardware.
The pre-seed funds candidate selection, formulation prototypes, ex vivo closure testing, rabbit wound-closure data, local tolerability, IP/FTO review, and a plan for IND-enabling work after seed financing.
$1M Pre-Seed
Lead nomination in 24 weeks.
Topical Corneal Repair
Eye drops designed to improve epithelial closure by modulating wound-current biology.
Closure Package
Ex vivo closure, rabbit wound-closure data, local tolerability, IP/FTO review, and IND-enabling plan.
24-week output
Nominated lead candidate, corneal tissue closure data, rabbit wound-closure data, local tolerability readout, provisional IP filings, and IND-enabling plan.
Partner, invest, or collaborate
If you’re an investor, CRO, media, or scientist/medical professional, we’d like to talk.