Santen and SERI Collaborate to Advance Disease-Modifying Therapies for Major Eye Diseases

December 3, 2025, - Osaka, Japan - Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (hereinafter Santen) and the Singapore Eye Research Institute (hereinafter 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 myopia.

Plans for SONIC 2.0

Whereas SONIC 1.0 was more exploratory and broad in scope, SONIC 2.0 shifts towards a more focused and targeted approach, enabling deeper mechanistic studies of the disease-modifying therapies.

Key research programs under SONIC 2.0 include:

The three-year initiative, which will run from December 2025 to November 2028, aims to generate two new clinical-stage candidates and expand the ophthalmic drug pipeline for Asia and beyond. SONIC 2.0 is expected to deliver tangible translational outcomes and contribute to Singapore’s biomedical innovation landscape through talent development, commercialisation, and future product launches projected by 2035.

Achievements from Early Collaborations including SONIC 1.0 since 2014

The initial collaboration successfully delivered 13 research projects across multiple ophthalmic domains. The projects include research work in diabetic retinopathy, myopia, dry eye and glaucoma. Among the projects were two licensed technologies and six joint patents filed for work on myopia, anti-scarring agents, and retina.

“SERI’s partnership with Santen has come a long way since 2014 where we started co-developing ophthalmic pharmaceutical products. We are proud to continue this collaboration with Santen, where our translational research expertise meets Santen’s innovative product development and industry capabilities. We look forward to the new breakthroughs in therapies that will benefit patients around the world,” shared Professor Aung Tin, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore National Eye Center, and Principal Investigator for the SONIC 2.0 program.

“At Santen, we are deeply committed to advancing eye health through innovative research and meaningful partnerships. The launch of SONIC 2.0 with SERI marks an important milestone in our mission to address unmet needs in ophthalmology. Through this initiative, we are strengthening our global commitment to deliver new possibilities and hope for patients, driving progress in eye care for generations to come,” said Rie Nakajima, Director of the Board, Chief Operating Officer of Santen.

About Santen
Santen is a global pharmaceutical company committed to advancing eye health and improving lives through better vision. Founded in 1890 in Osaka, Japan, Santen makes use of more than 135 years of experience in research and development, manufacturing, and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical devices to help people around the globe maintain and improve their eye health. Santen focuses exclusively on eye health and its portfolio includes glaucoma, dry eye, infection, allergy, age-related macular degeneration, and myopia. Santen’s products and services are available in more than 60 countries and regions. Guided by its Core Principle “Tenki ni sanyo suru” – Exploring the secrets and mechanisms of nature in order to contribute to people’s health – Santen combines its expertise with deep patient focus to contribute to the realization of “Happiness with Vision.”
For more information, please visit https://www.santen.com/en.

About Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI)
Established in 1997, Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) is Singapore’s national research institute for ophthalmic and vision research. SERI’s mission is to conduct high-impact eye research that prevents blindness, low vision and major eye diseases common to Singaporeans and Asians. Over the last decade, SERI has conducted land-mark research projects that have led to tangible outcomes, patient benefits, and success stories. It has paved the way for significant improvements in how eye diseases are treated and prevented, not just for Singaporeans or Asians, but on a global scale.
At its inception, SERI saw a national remit in ophthalmic and vision research. SERI has grown from a founding team of five in 1997 to a faculty of more than 250 staff, encompassing clinician scientists, scientists, research fellows, PhD students and support staff. This makes SERI one of the largest research institutes in Singapore, as well as the largest eye research institute in the Asia Pacific region. SERI has also over 250 adjunct faculties from various eye departments, biomedical institutes and tertiary centers in Singapore. SERI has published an impressive array of 5,942 scientific papers and has secured external peer-reviewed competitive grants. As of December 2024, SERI’s faculty has been awarded with more than 1,425 national and international prizes and filed 188 patents.
As the research institute of the SNEC, and directly affiliated to the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, as well the Duke-NUS Medical School, SERI undertakes vision research in collaboration with local clinical ophthalmic centers and biomedical research institutions, as well as major eye centers and research institutes throughout the world. SERI ranks first globally in terms of eye publications per capita, far ahead of the US, UK and Japan. With its impressive publication track record, SERI is comparable to renowned eye institutes, both regionally and internationally.

Contact
Corporate Communications
Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
E-mail: communication@santen.com

This press release has been published in Japanese and English languages and in the event of any inconsistency, the English version shall prevail.