Claris Biotherapeutics raised $118 million in a Series B financing to advance CSB-001, its eye-drop candidate for limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD), toward pivotal clinical studies. The company also appointed new leadership and board chair as it plans trials in the first half of 2027. CSB-001 uses recombinant human deleted hepatocyte growth factor (dHGF) and is designed to promote corneal epithelial regeneration while modulating inflammation and fibrosis. Claris says it is targeting a disease area with no approved pharmacologic therapy and that current options rely primarily on complex surgical procedures such as limbal stem cell transplantation. For investors, the capital raise signals confidence in proof-of-concept clinical signals in LSCD patients and provides runway for pivotal execution and regulatory support. The shift from earlier-stage evidence to pivotal trials will be a key inflection point for the company’s ability to translate ophthalmology biology into a scalable drug program.