Funding boost for NuVision

Noel Waters, COO of NuVision

NuVision Biotherapies has raised a further £4.8m in a funding round led by the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II through its appointed fund manager Mercia Ventures, and including the University of Nottingham and Pioneer Group.

NuVision’s products harness amniotic membrane, the tissue that surrounds babies in the womb, to support wound healing after surgery and manage conditions including ulcers, burns, glaucoma and infections.

The company’s first product Omnigen was designed for use in operating theatres but the launch of OmniLenz, a specialised contact lens, allows the use of amniotic membrane without the need for surgery and has extended the benefits to patients in ophthalmic practices and outpatient clinics.

NuVision currently supplies more than 160 NHS centres and private clinics in the UK, including Moorfields Eye Hospital, as well as overseas clinics in 12 countries across Europe, Scandinavia and the Middle East.

Following a successful clinical trial, a combination of Omnigen and OmniLenz is now being used to treat dry eye disease.

NuVision was founded in 2015 by Dr Andy Hopkinson based on his research at the University of Nottingham. The company sources amniotic tissue donated by women having elective Caesarean procedures at a number of hospitals and manufactures at its plant in Nottingham. Its unique process helps to preserve the tissue’s healing properties while creating products that can be stored at room temperature for long periods.

Noel Waters, COO of NuVision, said: “This round of funding will enable the proven benefits of treatment with amniotic membrane to be made available to those patients with damage to their eyes caused by traumatic injury or following eye surgery – and transform the lives of people living with chronic eye conditions like dry eye disease.”

Mercia Ventures and the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II have backed NuVision since its inception and provided successive rounds of funding in 2023 and 2024.