International Experts to Help Drive Company Success as it Launches its Series A fundraising

Norwich, UK, September 30 2025 – Ikarovec, a leader in ophthalmology gene therapy innovation with a sophisticated field-changing technology for the long-term relief of prevalent eye diseases, has established a world-leading Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of retinal research and clinical care specialists. The SAB, comprising a Clinical Translation Council and a Discovery Research Council, will advise the company across its activities from preclinical research through to clinical trials, regulatory affairs and key opinion leader engagement. Ikarovec has recently launched its >$40m Series A round to take its lead product, IKAR-001 for geographic atrophy (GA) with a secondary indication of retinitis pigmentosa (RP), through Phase I and II trials and to advance the pipeline.
Bringing together clinical retina specialists, vision scientists and gene therapy experts, the SAB has a strong international perspective including members from Australia, Israel, the UK and the US. With over 180,000 citations and in excess of 2,500 publications, it has exceptional scientific credibility plus clinical trial and regulatory approval experience.
IKAR-001, the first product from Ikarovec’s bicistronic gene therapy platform, takes a differentiated dual-pathway approach combining neuroprotection and complement modulation in a single treatment - unlike current approved GA therapies that target complement alone and require regular injections. This approach is designed to preserve vision rather than just slow its loss, while IKAR-002 for wet age-related macular degeneration combines anti-angiogenic and anti-fibrotic mechanisms. Experts on the SAB will bring further academic rigour and clinical development expertise in these areas.

Dr Thomas Ciulla, MD, MBA, President & CEO of Ikarovec, said, “To have such a stellar group of world leaders in retinal research and clinical care choosing to join our Scientific Advisory Board is both a validation of the potential of our bicistronic gene therapy approach and a great honour. We are delighted to have access to this level of expertise as we advance our bicistronic gene therapies with precision, innovation, and a commitment to addressing ophthalmic diseases that cause significant sight loss.”

The SAB1 Clinical Translation Council members are:

Robert L. Avery, MD - Founder and CEO of California Retina Consultants

Dean Eliott, MD - Director Emeritus of the Mass Eye and Ear Retina Service and Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School

M. Dominik Fischer, MD, DPhil - Professor of Ophthalmology at University of Oxford, Centre for Ophthalmology Tübingen & University of Lausanne, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Oxford Eye Hospital

Robyn H. Guymer, MD, PhD - Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Melbourne and Deputy Director of the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA)

Allen C. Ho, MD, FACS - Attending Surgeon and Director of Retina Research at Wills Eye Hospital and Professor of Ophthalmology at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Past President of the Retina Society

Anat Loewenstein, MD, MHA - Professor & Director of the Division of Ophthalmology at Tel Aviv Medical Center and Sydney Fox Chair of Ophthalmology at Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine, President EURetina

Robert E. MacLaren, MD, DPhil - Professor of Ophthalmology at University of Oxford and Consultant Ophthalmologist at Oxford Eye Hospital, UK NIHR Senior Investigator

Carl D. Regillo, MD, FACS – Director Retina Service Wills Eye Hospital & Professor of Ophthalmology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University

Charles C. Wykoff, MD, PhD - Director of Research at Retina Consultants of Texas & Chairman of Research for Retina Consultants of America, Deputy Chair of Ophthalmology at Houston Methodist Hospital, Past President Vit-Buckle Society

The SAB1 Discovery Research Council members are:

Christine A. Curcio, PhD - Professor Emerita of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham

Rajendra Kumar-Singh, PhD - Professor of Developmental, Molecular and Chemical Biology at Tufts University School of Medicine