Illuminare Biotechnologies

Illuminare Biotechnologies is a clinical-stage biotechnology company in Brooklyn, New York developing intraoperative nerve visualization for surgery. Its lead candidate, Illuminare-1 (rizedisben), is a small-molecule fluorophore that binds myelin and makes peripheral nerves fluoresce within minutes of injection so surgeons can see and avoid them. A 38-patient Phase I trial in radical prostatectomy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center established a clinically effective dose of 3.0 mg/kg with an excellent safety profile, and results were published in JAMA Surgery in July 2025. The company holds a royalty-bearing license to the underlying myelin-binding fluorescence patent portfolio from Edison Innovations and is preparing to begin Phase II trials across broader surgical applications in 2026.

A nerve-selective fluorophore with both immediate onset and sustained duration of illumination, so the nerve stays visible through the critical phases of an operation rather than for a brief window -- addressing unintended nerve injury, a complication that current surgical imaging agents do not target.