MONTPELLIER, FRANCE – Cilcare, a biotechnology company specializing in auditory sciences, has announced the completion of its €40 million Series A funding round, with €21 million secured in the latest phase. This milestone was achieved with the participation of new investors, including SHIONOGI & CO., LTD., and Sprim Global Investments Pte. Ltd., as well as existing backers such as Sofilaro, ARIS, SudPME, and UVM Health Capital.
The funding will enable Cilcare to initiate two Phase 2a clinical trials in 2025 for its lead drug candidate, CIL001, targeting cochlear synaptopathy. This underdiagnosed condition, often called “hidden hearing loss,” is associated with difficulties understanding speech in noisy environments, tinnitus, and hyperacusis.
Targeting ‘Hidden Hearing Loss’
The first trial, set for late 2025, will enroll approximately 100 patients with Type 2 diabetes, a group identified by Cilcare as having a high prevalence of cochlear synaptopathy. The second trial will focus on individuals with neurodegenerative disorders.
“This new funding, complemented by strategic agreements such as the exclusive license option signed with Shionogi Ltd. and the support of France 2030 funds managed by Bpifrance, marks a decisive milestone in Cilcare’s growth. It equips us to bring our innovations into clinical trials and address patient needs effectively.”
–Célia Belline, CEO of Cilcare
Cilcare is leveraging advanced artificial intelligence to identify auditory biomarkers, enabling precise patient selection for clinical trials and better evaluation of new therapies. This approach is expected to improve the success rates of treatments, particularly CIL001, by targeting high-risk groups for synaptopathy.
The company also continues to build its portfolio of hearing disorder treatments, expanding its research and development capabilities while collaborating with international pharmaceutical companies on drug, gene, and cell therapies, as well as medical devices.
“This recognition of our expertise and innovations signifies a turning point for Cilcare,” Belline added. “We are united in our mission to develop disruptive therapeutic solutions for millions of people affected by auditory disorders worldwide.”
About Cochlear Synaptopathy
Cochlear synaptopathy is a condition of the inner ear that affects the synaptic connections between the inner hair cells and the afferent fibers of the auditory nerve, leading to auditory disorders such as difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments, tinnitus, and hyperacusis, while maintaining normal pure-tone audiometry.
It represents an early stage of age-related hearing loss, clinically manifested by normal hearing thresholds but reduced speech intelligibility in noise (hidden hearing loss).
Often underdiagnosed because it is undetectable by standard audiogram, cochlear synaptopathy affects more than one billion young people and 10 to 15% of adults. It is worsened by noise and aging and is also highly prevalent among patients with chronic inflammatory diseases such as type 2 diabetes and in the early stages of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease.
It is one of the potential causes of tinnitus, a phantom sound that can reach unbearable levels for those affected in its most severe phases and affects one in ten adults globally.
Currently, no treatment exists for cochlear synaptopathy, and hearing aids are ineffective. If left untreated, it can irreversibly progress to deafness.
About CIL001
CIL001 is a new disease-modifying drug candidate for the treatment of cochlear synaptopathy following a single injection through the tympanic membrane. Recent preclinical studies have confirmed the effect of CIL001 in improving the amplitude of the first wave of the auditory brainstem response (ABR) and in promoting cochlear synapse reconnection, linking the inner hair cell to the auditory nerve. CIL001 has a comprehensive safety and CMC dossier, enabling it to proceed directly to a phase 2a clinical trial in humans.
About Cilcare
Cilcare is a biotechnology company specializing in auditory sciences, developing cutting-edge solutions for the characterization, diagnosis, and treatment of hearing disorders and associated diseases. Founded by three visionary entrepreneurs, the company now employs a team of 45 international collaborators, supported by a scientific advisory board. Since its creation in 2014, Cilcare has dedicated itself to addressing these global challenges by combining an advanced R&D platform, a promising drug candidate portfolio, and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to characterize various forms of hearing loss.
For the past 10 years, Cilcare has also made its technology available to industry leaders and researchers in Europe, the United States, and Asia to accelerate the development of drugs, gene and cell therapies, and medical devices for hearing disorders.
Source: Cilcare
