Eye drug specialist to drive Ikarovec pipeline forward

Ikarovec is a leader in ophthalmology innovation with a sophisticated field-changing technology for the long-term relief of prevalent eye diseases. Dr Ciulla will drive Ikarovec’s pipeline forward as it transitions into a clinical phase company, with its first trial expected to be of lead product IKC159V in geographic atrophy (GA) – a common and severe form of age-related macular degeneration.

He joins from Viridian Therapeutics, where he was Chief Medical Officer and accelerated veligrotug (for thyroid eye disease) from Phase II to two successful Phase III pivotal trials. His other significant activities include direction of medical strategy for Luxturna, the first FDA-approved gene therapy for inherited retinal disease, at Spark Therapeutics prior to its acquisition by Roche.

Also notable is his involvement in the first successful Phase III trial in age-related macular degeneration/GA, leading to US approval of Izervay at Iveric Bio (now part of Astellas).

As Chief Medical Officer at Clearside Biomedical, he contributed to development of the first FDA-approved suprachoroidal therapy (Xipere) and to key industry partnerships, including a collaboration for suprachoroidal delivery of gene therapy, demonstrating a track record in facilitating strategic alliances and financing.

Dr David Guyer, Chair of Ikarovec, said: ‘With a track record spanning innovation in ophthalmology and gene therapy, and a proven background of FDA approvals and value creation in companies, Tom is a great asset to the team and I’m delighted to welcome him to Ikarovec. He will be pivotal to driving our pipeline forward, leading partnering and fundraising, and establishing our US presence.”

Ikarovec announced in October 2024 that it had extended its seed funding round by £5 million, taking the total raised to £8m. The financing was led by existing investors LifeArc Ventures and Parkwalk Advisors, with UKI2S (managed by Future Planet Capital) also participating in the round.

Ikarovec’s lead product, IKC159V, a bicistronic gene therapy for GA, is expected to be the company’s first candidate to reach the clinic. GA is a leading cause of significant vision loss and affects 5 million people worldwide. The company’s flexible proprietary bicistronic gene therapy platform generates multiple synergistic therapeutic proteins where they are needed in the eye, bringing a differentiated approach to treating a range of large and growing ophthalmic disorders.

Dr Ciulla said, “I’m pleased to be joining Ikarovec at such an exciting phase of its development, as it transitions to a clinical phase company.

“With more than 5 million people worldwide affected by geographic atrophy alone, I’m committed to advancing our bicistronic gene therapy platform which targets multiple disease pathways through a single administration, potentially improving outcomes while significantly reducing the treatment burden compared to current therapies.

“I’m looking forward to helping translate this innovative technology into products which provide meaningful clinical benefits for those facing vision loss.”