Diabetic retinopathy is the most common microvascular complication associated with diabetes and the leading cause of preventable visual impairment and blindness among the working-age population worldwide. There are currently no therapeutic options for the earliest stages of the disease. In this context, D-Sight, a clinical-stage spin-off of the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), is developing the first eye-drop formulation for the early treatment of diabetic retinopathy. The company is also advancing its application as a neuroprotective therapy for another ocular disease, glaucoma.

To move forward in the clinical application of this treatment, D-Sight will initiate a Phase I clinical trial in the coming weeks. Since its early stages, the company has received continued investment from Clave Capital, a venture capital fund committed to biomedical innovation.

D-Sight originated from over fifteen years of research conducted by the Diabetes and Metabolism Research Group at VHIR, with the aim of translating advances in neuroscience into clinical ophthalmology practice.

The spin-off is in an advanced stage of preparation for its first Phase I clinical trial in humans, which will assess the safety of topical ocular administration of sitagliptin in healthy volunteers, following significant progress in regulatory procedures and industrial-scale manufacturing.

The trial is expected to begin in the coming weeks and to be completed during 2026.

“Reaching this advanced stage is the result of years of translational research and close collaboration between VHIR and D-Sight. The planned clinical study represents a significant step towards benefiting patients”, highlights Dr. Rafael Simó, head of the Diabetes and Metabolism research group at VHIR and scientific co-founder of D-Sight.

Building on this foundation, D-Sight has expanded its pipeline with the development of a new neuroprotective drug candidate for the treatment of glaucoma. This condition has a high unmet medical need and, unlike existing products, D-Sight’s therapy provides neuroprotection of the optic nerve. “D-Sight is progressing towards its first Phase I clinical trial, a key milestone in our translational strategy, while continuing to strengthen our ocular neuroprotection pipeline”, explains Carla Maté Goldar, CEO and co-founder of D-Sight.

Public and private funding to advance research

To further drive the scientific and clinical progress of its projects, D-Sight has recently secured an additional €2 million in public and private funding, bringing total investment to €5 million. Clave Capital has played a particularly significant role through its Clave Innohealth fund, supporting the company since its incorporation and leading the latest funding round, reaffirming its strategic commitment to the project’s clinical development.

The company has also maintained a close strategic collaboration with VHIR, which has played a key role in the project’s translational development and in securing competitive public funding.

In this context, D-Sight has recently been awarded €1.5 million under the 2024 Spanish Public-Private Collaboration call.

In addition, the company has strengthened its financial and strategic structure through further private investment, with continued backing from Clave Capital, its main investor, and the incorporation of new partners, including the Prous Institute for Biomedical Research, a partner within VHIR’s innovation ecosystem with expertise in drug development and clinical translation.

“Clave Capital has supported D-Sight since its earliest stages and we remain convinced of the distinctive value of its scientific approach. This new investment reinforces our commitment to the team and its roadmap towards clinical validation and a future Series A”, says Sergio San Agustín, Investment Director at Clave Capital. “D-Sight demonstrates how a strong scientific foundation and a clear roadmap enable progress towards clinical evaluation in humans”, states David Prous, Executive Director of the Prous Institute for Biomedical Research.

The combination of public and private funding will enable further preclinical development and early clinical validation of the glaucoma programme, as well as preparation for the next clinical development phases across the company’s portfolio.

In line with VHIR’s mission to accelerate biomedical innovation and improve people’s health, D-Sight exemplifies the value of publicly funded research transformed into clinical solutions with the potential to preserve vision and prevent irreversible blindness.