New winner of IdEx's Call for Start-Up DeepTech Projects: the Eye-Onic project

A promising innovation to combat dry eye disease

The Eye-Onic project tackles a growing public health issue: dry eye disease (DED). The leading cause of ophthalmologist visits, this chronic disease is due to factors such as the aging of the world's population and increased use of screens. It leads to an imbalance in the layers of the eye, generating an inflammatory state that amplifies the syndrome and constitutes a vicious circle. However, artificial tears and other current treatments do not stop the progression of the disease. The technology developed by Guillaume Sandoz 's team is designed to activate natural tear production, by targeting an endogenous chloride channel which, when activated, naturally stimulates water secretion. A natural peptide of 13 amino acids (Nter13) was identified.

Strategic support for start-up creation

The Eye-Onic project is part of a drive to create a Deeptech start-up, supported by the IdEx Innovation Program. The Call for Deeptech Start-Up Projects is aimed at initiatives that capitalize on the research results of IdEx partner teams, with a view to transferring them to the market.
The scheme provides financial support of up to €200,000, divided into two phases:

• Phase 1 - "Start-Up Entrepreneur" (€100,000): to transform a deeptech technological concept into an innovative product that can be transferred to an existing start-up.
• Phase 2 - "Innovation Partnership" (100 K€): to support the growth and industrial maturation of the start-up, consolidating its activities and exploring new development opportunities.

Thanks to this support, Eye-Onic benefits from structuring assistance as it makes the transition from laboratory to start-up, helping to strengthen the Deeptech ecosystem of Université Côte d'Azur and its partners. Find out more about the Université Côte d'Azur IdEx Innovation Program