A pioneer in sight technology, Allotex, Inc. is a biologics company that provides the medical world with an inventive solution to presbyopia, hyperopia, and myopia: a living contact lens. This “living lens,” or corneal allograft, is created using natural human corneal tissue that has been shaped using high-precision patented and proprietary technology. These minute, living lenses (lenticules) can be placed in or on a patient’s natural cornea with the aim of reducing or eliminating the need for wearing reading glasses.
Allotex was founded in 2014 by Dr. David Muller, who also founded of Summit Technology, the first company to get FDA approval for laser vision correction. More recently Dr. Muller founded Avedro, Inc., a combination drug and device company that just received FDA approval and Orphan Drug Designation for corneal collagen cross-linking.
Dr. Muller was joined at Allotex in 2015 by Prof. Michael Mrochen of Zurich, who has a long and esteemed track record of ophthalmic device development, particularly in the area of refractive surgery. Today Professor Michael Mrochen works in his research facility in Zurich, Switzerland, and Allotex’s production and corporate offices are in Boston, MA.
In February of 2018, Allotex closed on financing from a strategic investor to fund its upcoming European clinical trials. According to the company’s Medical Advisory Board, including Drs. Peter Hersh, Stephen Slade and Vance Thompson, “The Allotex inlay represents a major advancement in corneal tissue micro-engineering. Unlike current artificial inlays, the enhanced biocompatibility of lenticules prepared from actual corneal tissue ushers in a new era of refractive surgery by tissue addition. These novel products promise to improve the visual function of many patients.”