Cirrus Therapeutics Strengthens Its Position as a Next-Generation Global Ocular Immunology Leader with Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) Collaboration and Additional Financing

• Cirrus deepens expansion into Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region through collaboration with Singapore Eye Research Institute and Duke-NUS Medical School’s Centre for Vision Research to support research, clinical development and partnering activities
• Cirrus expands investor syndicate with new additions, including Cedars Sinai Intellectual Property Company, raising $14.7 million to date
• Cirrus continues to advance its lead program toward the clinic, a novel ocular gene therapy designed to restore IRAK-M in geographic atrophy patients
  
  

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and SINGAPORE, Aug. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cirrus Therapeutics, an ocular immunology biotech, today announced a collaboration with Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) and Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS). Cirrus also announced an expanded investor syndicate, including Cedars Sinai Intellectual Property Company, raising $14.7 million seed financing to date. These developments bolster Cirrus’ trajectory as a global ocular immunology company advancing first-in-class and best-in-class therapies to extend the ocular healthspan of patients with chronic blinding diseases.

“We are taking methodical steps to build an ocular immunology company that delivers global impact. Our collaboration with SERI and Duke-NUS exemplifies this strategy in action,” said Ying Kai Chan, PhD, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Cirrus Therapeutics. “We’re also pleased to fortify our investor syndicate with new additions, including strategic investors such as Cedars Sinai Intellectual Property Company as we continue to progress our novel ocular gene and cell therapy candidates toward the clinic.”

Cirrus’ lead program is a novel ocular gene therapy designed to restore IRAK-M, in order to prevent AMD progression and preserve central vision in GA patients.

SERI, the research institute of the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC), is the national ophthalmic research institute and ranks first globally by ophthalmology publications per capita. SERI and SNEC are part of SingHealth’s cluster of hospitals and specialist centres. Working closely with Duke-NUS’ Centre for Vision Research, SERI conducts research aimed at preventing blindness, low vision and major eye diseases affecting people in Singapore and Asia. Cirrus’ collaboration with SERI and Duke-NUS, supported by National Medical Research Council (NMRC)/National Health Innovation Centre Singapore (NHIC), accelerates the advancement of innovative ophthalmic technologies for treatment of blinding diseases to benefit more patients.

“The pioneering work by SERI, augmented by Duke-NUS, has contributed to important advances in how eye diseases are understood, treated and prevented in Asia and globally,” said Assistant Professor Hwee Goon Tay, Ph.D., Principal Investigator at SERI and Duke-NUS’ Centre for Vision Research, who is leading the collaboration. “Through this collaboration with Cirrus, we hope to accelerate the development of new therapies that can protect or restore sight for people living with serious retinal diseases.”

In March 2026, Cirrus announced the establishment of an R&D site in Singapore, complementing its UK science origins and US infrastructure and enabling access to Asia-Pacific, one of the fastest-growing biopharma markets. Cirrus concurrently announced a strategic partnership with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) to develop impactful ophthalmic therapies.

“Over the past two decades, Singapore has established itself as a high-impact, global R&D hub, with ophthalmologic and retinal diseases being a key highlight,” said Professor Andrew Dick, MD, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Advisor of Cirrus, as well as Duke Elder Chair and Director of Institute of Ophthalmology, University College of London (UCL), and Head of Academic Unit of Ophthalmology, University of Bristol. “Cirrus’ presence and strategic partnerships in Singapore is the type of cross-border collaboration critical for addressing the massive, global unmet need presented by age-related macular degeneration and geographic atrophy.”

About Cirrus Therapeutics
Cirrus Therapeutics is a privately held ocular immunology-focused biotech with locations in the U.S. and Singapore. Cirrus is focused on revolutionizing the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), geographic atrophy (GA), and other chronic blinding diseases with groundbreaking cell and gene therapies to preserve sight, extend ocular healthspan, and enable a better quality of life as people age.

Our lead program is a preclinical stage, novel adeno-associated virus (AAV) ocular gene therapy designed to potentially reverse an underlying cause of dry AMD: loss of IRAK-M protein, a key immune regulator expressed in retinal cells. Our second program is a preclinical stage, next-generation RPE cell therapy to restore vision to patients with center-involving GA, an advanced stage of AMD.

Our investor syndicate includes ClavystBio, Polaris Partners, SEEDS (an investment arm of SG Growth Capital), Cedars Sinai Intellectual Property Company, and additional institutional investors.

For more information, visit us at www.cirrustx.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Media Contact:
Liz Melone
liz@melonecomm.com

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