RD Fund to invest in NVasc

The RD Fund (Retinal Degeneration Fund) announces an investment in NVasc, an early-stage company focused on treating age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

NVasc was founded by a team of highly regarded scientists: Napoleone Ferrara, MD, the late Nobel Laureate Robert Grubbs, PhD, Dan Schwartz, MD, and Marco Zarbin, MD, PhD. Dr Ferrara was involved in the discovery of VEGF, recognized as the key regulator of angiogenesis, and in the creation of LUCENTIS® and AVASTIN®. Among other achievements, Dr Ferrara received a Lasker award for developing the first effective therapy for neovascular AMD.

Dr Ferrara continues to innovate with NVasc cofounders to develop a leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) receptor agonist for the treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration and the advanced form geographic atrophy. LIF is a pleiotropic member of the IL-6 family of cytokines that stimulates growth and survival of human choroidal endothelial cells.

“I truly appreciate the support of the RD Fund,” says Dr Ferrara. “I am excited by the possibility of developing a novel therapy for AMD that prevents loss of choriocapillaris and slows down progression of geographic atrophy.”

The financing supports continued product and nonclinical development of NVasc’s technology for therapeutic angiogenesis as a treatment for retinal ischemia associated with age-related macular degeneration and geographic atrophy. Adrienne Graves, PhD, RD Fund Chair, joined the NVasc board as an independent board director.

“We’re fortunate to be in a position to help catalyze the discovery and development of novel therapeutic strategies for age-related macular degenerations,” says Rusty Kelley, PhD, managing director at the RD Fund. “NVasc adds to the RD Fund portfolio another group of world-class scientific founders with significant expertise from discovery to the clinic, and with a unique mechanism aimed at improving choroidal and retinal revascularization that gets us closer to the cause of disease. Dr Graves, chair of Iveric Bio prior to its acquisition by Astellas, brings a wealth of Board governance experience to NVasc.”
MB Bureau