On September 5, 2025, Xpanceo announced a partnership with Italian medtech startup Intra-ker to develop an intracorneal implant capable of embedding a microLED display directly into the cornea. The collaboration combines Xpanceo’s smart contact lenses with Intra-Ker’s patented intracorneal design, which enables the implantation of electrical components in the cornea. From this, the two companies aim to restore vision in people with corneal blindness, one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide.
What is corneal opacity?
Recent studies estimate that approximately 11.7 million people over the age of 40 are affected by corneal opacity, a condition in which scarring or clouding of the cornea blocks light from passing through to the retina, resulting in vision loss. About 47% of these cases involve bilateral blindness, while the remainder are affected by unilateral blindness. This figure places corneal opacity among the top five leading causes of blindness globally, which highlights the urgent need for prevention and innovative treatment strategies.
What is the treatment for corneal opacity?
Currently, the standard treatment for corneal opacity is corneal transplantation, a surgical procedure in which the diseased cornea is replaced with healthy donor tissue. While this approach can restore vision for many patients, its availability is constrained by the limited supply of donor corneas. Globally, an estimated 12 million people are awaiting treatment, yet only about 185,000 procedures are performed each year across 116 countries.
What are intracorneal implants?
To address the limitations of donor-dependent transplantation, Xpanceo and Intra-ker are developing an intracorneal implant design that bypasses the need for healthy donor corneas. The implant embeds a microdisplay into the cornea and works with external smart glasses to capture visual information from the surroundings. These images are transmitted wirelessly to the implant, which then projects the visual signal to the retina.
Xpanceo and Intra-ker’s technology focus
Founded in 2022, Intra-Ker builds on years of research led by Professor Massimo Busin, a specialist in corneal surgery. His work on hybrid corneal prostheses began in 2020 and expanded through a collaboration with Eliachar Technology in 2021. The said research laid the foundation for Intra-Ker’s hybrid intracorneal implant, designed to anchor securely in the cornea, reduce the risk of rejection, and function independently of donor tissue.
Xpanceo, established in 2021, has been advancing next-generation wearable optics and smart lens technologies. The company has demonstrated several functional prototypes, including five unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2025 which featured augmented reality displays and health-monitoring capabilities. It also recently secured a $250 million Series A funding round to accelerate the development of XR-integrated lenses, emphasizing its commitment to advancing augmented reality and vision-enhancement systems.
Xpanceo and Intra-ker’s Patenting Activity
As of this writing, Intra-ker has only one patent, titled “Intracorneal Optical Implant”. This patent is filed in three jurisdictions, including the United States, which underscores the company’s commitment to advancing ophthalmic innovations on a global scale.
| Patent Family | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
| US20240423782 | Intracorneal optical implant | 2021-09-17 | 2022-09-16 |
On the other hand, Xpanceo holds a total of 15 global patent filings, which can be grouped into the following:
| Patent Family | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
| WO2024/102024 | Wearable optical device and method of producing an optical composite material for such device | 2022-11-12 | 2023-07-05 |
| WO2024/123211 | Porous material producing method,contact lens containing said material, and porous material with gradient refractive index | 2022-12-07 | 2023-09-15 |
| WO2024/144412 | Method for producing a metal-containing film blank | 2022-12-26 | 2022-12-26 |
| WO2024/162875 | A liquid lens, a contact lens containing the liquid lens, and an intraocular device | 2023-01-31 | 2024-02-28 |
| WO2024/181886 | Contact lens with a gradient optical system | 2023-02-27 | 2023-12-18 |
| WO2024/205450 | Virtual image visualization system | 2023-03-30 | 2023-11-17 |
| WO2024/215218 | Topological-darkness-based optical device and optical element therefor | 2023-04-13 | 2023-12-01 |
| WO2024/248656 | Multiplexed hologram recording method and apparatus | 2023-05-31 | 2023-12-08 |
| WO2025/014394 | Augmented reality interface control system and method | 2023-07-10 | 2024-02-12 |
| WO2025/018917 | User’s eye tracking method and contact lens | 2023-07-14 | 2024-04-25 |
Xpanceo’s global patent filings cover a wide range of optical and vision technologies, spanning from late 2022 through 2024. These include materials-focused innovations, such as liquid and gradient lenses, as well as system-level advances like holographic recording and eye-tracking methods. In contrast to Intra-ker’s concentration on a single technology, Xpanceo’s portfolio reflects a broader approach to protecting multiple elements of its smart contact lens platform. By 2024, however, the company pivoted towards laboratory testing and prototype validation, marking their transition from concept protection to technological advancement.
Xpanceo: Top Technology Areas
Xpanceo’s patent portfolio is dominated by optical technologies, led by CPC classes G02B (optical elements and systems) and G02C (spectacles and contact lenses). These reflect the company’s core focus on advanced vision and wearable optics.
Supporting filings in plastics manufacturing (B29D) and nanostructure technology (B82Y) highlight the role of materials science in its development efforts, while smaller clusters in semiconductors and medical devices signal Xpanceo’s push toward broader, cross-disciplinary applications in biomedical optics and integrated electronic systems.
Xpanceo: Top Legal Representatives
Xpanceo’s global patent portfolio has been primarily managed by Marina Chugunova, the company’s IP Advisor and former IP specialist. COPA Copenhagen Patents and attorney Matthew Franklin Lambrinos of FAI IP handled the company’s European filings, while Wanhuida IP represented Xpanceo in Hong Kong.
The patents behind the intracorneal implant
The partnership between Xpanceo and Intra-Ker was made possible by their respective technological focuses. The following filings highlight the core innovations that enable their collaborative work on intracorneal implants.
Light-channeling implant in the corneal stroma
Beyond the long waitlist due to limited supply of donor corneas, current transplantation methods also carry significant risks such as graft rejection and failure. While alternatives such as artificial implants and keratoprostheses are available, they too can lead to serious complications that further reduce the likelihood of successful visual restoration. These challenges highlight the continuing demand for safe and effective surgical treatments that can ensure stable, long-term eyesight recovery.
U.S. Pat. No. 2024/0423782 addresses this by introducing an intracorneal optical device designed for implantation in the corneal stroma, rather than completely replacing it. The device uses a central optical stem to channel light through the cornea to the retina, supported by surrounding haptics that anchor the implant in place and promote tissue integration. By working with the patient’s existing cornea, the design lowers the chance of complications like infection or implant failure, while still providing a stable path for light to enter the eye and restore vision.
The patent, titled “Intracorneal optical implant”, was filed on March 17, 2024. The patent lists Massimo Busin, Eliahu Eliachar, Angeli Christy Yu, Nir Lilach, and Ron Michael Lavan as inventors. This filing was represented by Roy Gross from The Roy Gross Law Firm
Nanoparticle-enhanced liquid lens for high-power optical focusing
Conventional liquid lenses have a limited ability to adjust and change focus because of the minimal refractive index difference between their liquid layers. This limitation restricts their optical power, making it difficult to achieve clear, adaptable, and high-clarity vision correction or image projection in compact systems.
WO2024162875 overcomes this limitation with a high-power liquid lens that incorporates high-refractive-index nanoparticles into one of the liquids, which significantly increases the refractive contrast and optical performance. By increasing the refractive index difference within the lens, these particles strengthen its focusing power without adding bulk or complexity to the system.
The lens’s curvature can be precisely tuned using electric or magnetic fields, allowing rapid and stable focus adjustment. This design enables lightweight, high-performance optical devices capable of delivering clear, dynamic, and responsive visual experiences.
The patent application, titled “A liquid lens, a contact lens containing the liquid lens, and an intraocular device”, was filed on February 28, 2024. The patent lists Xpanceo founder Valentyn Volkov; Aleksey Arsenin, Vyacheslav Brunov, and Georgii Ermolaev as inventors. The filing was represented by Marina Chugunova.
Smart contact lens for natural augmented reality interaction
Augmented reality (AR) technology still struggles with bulky hardware, limited input options, and awkward control systems. Bioelectric sensing has been explored as an alternative interface to address these issues; however, it still tends to be uncomfortable, imprecise, and visually intrusive. These limitations prevent smooth and natural interaction between the user and the AR interface, highlighting the need for a compact and intuitive system that enables effortless control without external devices.
WO2025014394 addresses this by introducing a smart contact lens equipped with transparent electrodes that detect subtle bioelectric signals generated by eye or tongue movement. These signals are converted into digital commands to control AR displays, enabling real-time interaction through natural, hands-free actions. By integrating sensing and control directly into the lens, the invention offers a lightweight, comfortable, and intuitive alternative to traditional AR headsets, paving the way for more practical and immersive AR experiences.
The patent application, titled “Augmented reality interface control system and method”, was filed on February 12, 2024. The patent lists Xpanceo founder Valentyn Volkov; Aleksey Arsenin, Vyacheslav Brunov, Yuliya Nekrasova, Aleksey Osadchiy, Valentin Solovei, and Alexander Syuy as inventors, along with Marina Chugunova, who is also listed as the patent’s filing representative.
Envisioning the future
Xpanceo and Intra-ker plan to advance their eye implant technology into clinical trials within the next two years, with a procedure comparable to standard corneal surgery. As production scales, the developers expect pricing to align with flagship smartphones, lowering costs compared to current corneal transplantation costs. By 2026, Intra-ker also has plans to develop an intracorneal projector device with plans for commercialization as early as 2029.
