CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — October 2, 2025 — Leads & Copy — Cirrus Therapeutics, a biotech company focused on ocular immunology, has secured $11 million in seed financing to advance its pipeline of gene and cell therapies. These therapies aim to improve the quality of life and extend the ocular healthspan of patients with chronic blinding diseases. The funding round was led by ClavystBio, with participation from Polaris Partners and SEEDS.
The proceeds will be used to advance Cirrus’ lead program into IND-enabling studies. This program involves a novel adeno-associated virus (AAV) ocular gene therapy designed to reverse the loss of IRAK-M protein, a key immune regulator in retinal cells and a validated underlying cause of dry age-related macular degeneration (dry AMD). AMD is the leading cause of vision loss for people aged 50 and over, affecting over 200 million people worldwide.
Professor Andrew Dick, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Advisor of Cirrus, stated that replenishing IRAK-M expression offers an opportunity to target an underlying driver of retinal degeneration, potentially preventing or reversing vision loss. Ying Kai Chan, PhD, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Cirrus Therapeutics, added that the company aims to deliver a safe, effective, and durable treatment for AMD by pairing the disease-modifying IRAK-M target with a one-time treatment modality.
Khoo Shih, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of ClavystBio, expressed commitment to supporting Cirrus in advancing its therapy toward the clinic and building its earlier stage pipeline. Ocular diseases offer a compelling application for gene therapy, providing a durable, sustained effect from a single treatment, contrasting with the continual injections required by existing therapies.
Liz Melone
liz@melonecomm.com
Source: Cirrus Therapeutics
