BioMed X and Boehringer Ingelheim have expanded their XSeed Labs collaboration with the launch of a new research team focused on developing next-generation intraocular biologics.
The initiative, based at Boehringer Ingelheim’s U.S. research and development site in Ridgefield, Connecticut, will establish a platform for modeling human retinal biology to support drug discovery. The new group, known as Team NIB, will work on creating organotypic in vitro systems designed to better predict how therapies perform in human eye tissue.
The research effort will be led by Dr. Deniz Ugurlu Cimen and will integrate expertise in stem cell biology, biomaterials, and microphysiological systems. The goal is to improve early-stage validation of biologic therapies by using human-relevant models rather than relying solely on traditional preclinical systems.
Retinal diseases remain a major cause of vision loss worldwide, and development of effective treatments has been limited in part by challenges in translating preclinical findings into clinical outcomes. More predictive models are seen as a way to address this gap.
XSeed Labs is an incubator model that embeds academic-style research teams within pharmaceutical R&D environments. The collaboration between BioMed X and Boehringer Ingelheim began with earlier teams at the Ridgefield site and is now expanding into ophthalmology research.
The companies said the new team will focus on building scalable platforms for evaluating intraocular biologics, with the aim of supporting future therapeutic development programs.
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