Singapore, Dec. 6 -- Japan's Santen Pharmaceutical and the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) have launched the Santen-SERI Open Innovation Center (SONIC) 2.0, a next-generation research collaboration designed to accelerate translational development of first-in-class, disease-modifying therapies for vision-threatening eye diseases.

SONIC 2.0 builds on the achievements of SERI and Santen's long term strategic partnership since 2014, including SONIC 1.0, a S$37 million collaboration from 2017 to 2023.

Valued at S$21 million, the new collaboration combines Santen's pharmaceutical expertise with SERI's clinical and translational research capabilities to deliver new treatments for glaucoma and ocular surface diseases, presbyopia, and my...