How a Bangalore biotech quietly built a blindness breakthrough in under $10 million

Daybreak

Content provided by The Ken. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by The Ken or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.

3d ago 10:20

MP3•Episode home

Eyestem, a 14-member biotech startup from Bengaluru is turning heads in global pharma circles. With just $10 million and a modest 1,200 sq ft office, it has developed a promising cell therapy for dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD)—a condition that leads to blindness and has no cure. Early trial results are not only encouraging, they’re outperforming billion-dollar competitors in the West.

But this isn’t just about scientific innovation. It’s about doing more with less. Eyestem’s founders set out with a bold goal: to build a cutting-edge treatment that’s actually affordable, especially for Indian patients. Think world-class therapy in under $10,000. In the current world of cell and gene therapies, where treatments often cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and remain out of reach for most, it is next to impossible.

How did Eyestem achieve this and what does this means for the future of biotech in India?

Tune in.

If you have any thoughts or questions about this episode, send them to us as texts or voice notes on Daybreak’s WhatsApp at +918971108379.

Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stories.

The Ken is hosting a subscriber event at the Bangalore International Centre on May 19! Join Two by Two hosts Rohin Dharmakumar and Praveen Gopal Krishnan and three distinguished guests as they discuss new ways of thinking about investing to ensure you’ll be in a good position 10, 20, or even 30 years from now. Buy tickets here.

482 episodes

#Business News #Business #News #Ken #Technology