Tavo raises $17M for glaucoma

Tavo Biotherapeutics said on June 2 that it had closed a $17 million Series A financing to push a glaucoma drug candidate into its next stage of development and continue work on a retinal disease program. The Laguna Beach, California-based company said Pureos Bioventures led the round, with participation from Polaris Partners and continued backing from existing investor Tau Capital. The financing will support TAV-001, a topical glaucoma therapy, and TAV-002, a retinal disease program, the company said. Tavo said TAV-001 is moving into a Phase 2 clinical trial in the second half of 2026. ### What exactly did Tavo raise, and who wrote the checks? Tavo said the Series A totaled $17 million and was led by Pureos Bioventures, with Polaris Partners joining the round and Tau Capital continuing as an investor. The company also said Dominik Escher and Nil Gural joined its board representing Pureos and Polaris, respectively. (tavobio.com) Gary Berman, Tavo’s chief executive officer, said the financing would let the company accelerate its glaucoma and retinal disease programs. Dominik Escher said Pureos saw “a compelling pipeline” and a defined clinical strategy, according to Tavo’s announcement. ### Why is TAV-001 the centerpiece of this financing? TAV-001 is Tavo’s lead program and is being studied as a potential disease-modifying topical therapy for glaucoma, according to the company. (tavobio.com) Tavo says the drug is designed to go beyond lowering intraocular pressure alone and instead act on the autonomic nervous system, which it says is involved in inflammation and degeneration in glaucoma. Tavo’s website says the program is being developed as an “Autonomic Nervous System Modulator for Glaucoma,” or AMG. The company says that approach is meant to work with the eye’s regulatory systems and address glaucoma more broadly than pressure management alone. ### What does the company say the drug is supposed to do? Tavo says TAV-001 is intended to reduce intraocular pressure, improve ocular perfusion and provide neuroprotection. (biospace.com) Those claims were echoed in social posts about the financing and align with the company’s description of the therapy as a disease-modifying candidate rather than a pressure-lowering drug alone. The company has framed glaucoma as a disease involving neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, not only elevated pressure. (tavobio.com) On its website, Tavo says retinal ganglion cell loss and optic nerve damage are central to disease progression. ### Where does TAV-001 stand in development now? Tavo said in its June 2 financing announcement that TAV-001 is moving into a Phase 2 clinical trial in the second half of 2026. (tavobio.com) That timeline is later than an earlier company update, published in May, that said the program was expected to enter a Phase 1 trial in glaucoma patients in 2025. (tavobio.com) The company did not provide trial design details in the financing release. It did say the new money would support ongoing clinical and preclinical development work and expand research capabilities ahead of key milestones. ### What else changed alongside the financing? Tavo said Federico Grossi joined as chief medical officer and Daniel Bradbury became chairman. (tavobio.com) The company said those additions, together with the board appointments tied to the financing, were meant to support the next phase of development across its ophthalmology pipeline. TAV-002 remains the company’s second named program. (tavobio.com) Tavo has previously said that asset is being developed for retinal diseases including diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, and wet and dry age-related macular degeneration, with IND-enabling work underway. The second half of 2026 is the next named milestone for TAV-001, when Tavo said the glaucoma candidate is scheduled to enter Phase 2 testing. (tavobio.com) The same financing will also fund continued work on TAV-002 and research expansion, according to the company’s June 2 statement. (tavobio.com)