SPONSORS
Elite Sponsors
Aerie Pharmaceuticals
Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a publicly traded pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of first-in-class therapies for the treatment of glaucoma and other eye diseases. Its lead product includes Rhopressa, a once-daily eye drop for the reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Rhopressa has been approved by the FDA and Aerie expects to launch the product by mid-second quarter 2018. The company is also developing Roclatan, a once-daily eye drop to reduce IOP that is in Phase III registration trials to treat patients with open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension. Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a collaborative research and development agreement with Royal DSM NV. Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 2005 and is based in Irvine, California.
Alcon
Alcon, the global leader in eye care, provides innovative products that enhance quality of life by helping people worldwide see better. Through Surgical, Pharmaceutical and Vision Care, Alcon offers the world’s widest spectrum of ophthalmic products, helping millions of patients see the world better with clarity, color and beauty.
Carl Zeiss Medical Technologies
Carl Zeiss Meditec, a world-leading medical technology company, supplies innovative technologies and application-oriented solutions designed to help doctors improve the quality of life of their patients. It provides complete solutions for diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases, innovative visualization solutions for microsurgery, and promising, future-oriented technologies such as intraoperative radiotherapy.
Johnson & Johnson Vision
Johnson & Johnson Vision is committed to improving and restoring sight for patients worldwide. Through their world-leading ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses portfolio, newly acquired cataract surgery, laser refractive surgery (LASIK) and consumer eye health businesses, they now serve more than 60 million patients a day across 103 countries. Dual headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and Santa Ana, California, Johnson & Johnson Vision has more than 8,400 employees worldwide.
Santen
As a global ophthalmology company, Santen specializes in the research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical, surgical, and OTC eye care products. With over 3,400 employees and its worldwide headquarters in Japan, Santen continues to provide innovative solutions in glaucoma, retina, uveitis, dry eye, ocular allergy and infection to patients around the world.
Major Sponsors
Allergan
Allergan (NYSE: AGN) is a unique, global pharmaceutical company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing high quality generic and innovative branded pharmaceutical products for patients around the world. The Company has approximately 30,000 employees worldwide and maintains global headquarters in Dublin, Ireland.
Bausch + Lomb
Bausch + Lomb is dedicated to protecting and enhancing the gift of sight. Bausch + Lomb is a global hallmark for innovation and quality, offering the widest and finest range of eye health products including ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, contact lenses, lens care products, ophthalmic surgical devices and instruments.
Novartis
Novartis is a leading ophthalmology company, with therapies that treat both front and back of the eye disorders, including retina diseases, glaucoma, dry eye and other external eye diseases. In 2016, approximately 200 million patients worldwide were treated with Novartis ophthalmic products.
Piper Jaffray
Piper Jaffray (NYSE: PJC) is a leading investment bank focused on mergers and acquisitions, public offerings, public finance, institutional brokerage, investment management and research. Founded in 1895, the firm is headquartered in Minneapolis with offices across the U.S. and in London, Aberdeen, Zurich and Hong Kong.
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries
Sun Ophthalmics is reenergizing eye care. We are a US division of Sun Pharma, a global specialty pharmaceutical corporation with operations in over 150 countries. We focus on your needs as a professional, offering support so you can focus on your patients. Discover a brighter future in eye care.
Supporting Sponsor
Clearside Biomedical
Clearside Biomedical, Inc., is a publicly-traded, late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company developing innovative first-in-class drug therapies to treat blinding diseases of the eye using Clearside’s proprietary SCS™ microinjector to reach diseased tissue through the suprachoroidal space. Clearside’s portfolio of clinical/pre-clinical programs for back-of-the-eye diseases include RVO, uveitis, wet AMD and DME.
Innovation Sponsors
AcuFocus
AcuFocus, an ophthalmic medical device company, develops and markets small aperture products. The KAMRA® inlay and the IC-8® IOL are designed to provide patients with a true extended range of vision. The KAMRA inlay is the first FDA approved corneal inlay. The IC-8 IOL is not approved in the U.S.
Avedro
Avedro is a privately held pharmaceutical and medical device company advancing the science and technology of corneal cross-linking and refractive correction.
Kala Pharmaceuticals
Kala is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapeutics using its proprietary mucus-penetrating particle (MPP) technology, with an initial focus on the treatment of eye diseases. Kala has applied the MPP technology to a corticosteroid designed for ocular applications, resulting in two lead product candidates. The product candidates are INVELTYSTM (KPI-121 1%) for the treatment of inflammation and pain following ocular surgery, for which an NDA has been accepted for review by the FDA, and KPI-121 0.25% for the temporary relief of the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease.
LacriScience
With our sensors, furnished with an abundance of chemistries, we can accurately identify and quantify a whole suite of ophthalmic disorders such as inflammation(MMP-9), Adenovirus,Tryptase, etc. Discuss bench and clinical data using the advanced stage of development of LacriPen, positioning it as the most versatile diagnostic technology SPR, in the industry.
Lagunita Biosciences
Lagunita Biosciences is a healthcare investment company and incubator that creates and grows early stage companies to commercialize impactful translational science that addresses significant clinical needs. We evaluate opportunities in five key areas that correspond to the strengths and expertise of our team and network: Ophthalmology, protein engineering & drug discovery, surgical devices, optical diagnostics and therapeutics and mobile health.
Nicox S.A.
Nicox is an international ophthalmic company, with two out-licensed commercial-stage products, developing innovative solutions to help maintain vision and improve ocular health. The Company’s strategy is to maximise the potential of its proprietary nitric oxide (NO)-donating research platform and its products and product candidates through in-house development and industry-leading collaborations.
PowerVision
PowerVision has developed a fluid-controlled accommodating IOL designed to restore youthful vision. The FluidVision® AIOL provides True Accommodation™ by mimicking the eye’s natural accommodative process to transport fluids inside it, creating true shape change. The Company has shown in clinical trials that it can deliver clear vision at all distances.
Sight Sciences
In 2011, Sight Sciences was founded to change the way the practice of ophthalmology and optometry thinks about and treats the leading causes of eye disease. Supported by leading medical technology and private equity investors, Sight Sciences operates two business lines: surgical and non-surgical systems. Its surgical product portfolio consists of the OMNI™ Surgical System, TRAB®360 and VISCO360® for use by ophthalmologists. Its non-surgical product portfolio consists of its TearCare™ technologies for use by ophthalmologists and optometrists.
SightGlass Vision
SightGlass Vision, Inc., a clinical stage, start-up biotech/medical device company based in Menlo Park, CA. SightGlass is developing innovative spectacle lenses to reduce progression of myopia in children. Based on research at the University of Washington, SightGlass was founded in 2016 by Prof. Jay Neitz and Prof. Maureen Neitz, world-renowned vision researchers, and Dr. Thomas Chalberg, a serial entrepreneur in the biotechnology and medical device sectors. Myopia is rising rapidly around the world, and by 2050, approximately 5 billion people will be myopic. SightGlass's mission is to reduce myopia progression for millions of children suffering from myopia around the world.
SightLife Surgical
SightLife Surgical is committed to transforming the complex corneal environment to provide better products and streamlined services for surgeons. Which in turn, will help more people see the world through new eyes. We make more corneas available for transplant than any other company in the world.
Trial Runners
Trial Runners is an ophthalmology CRO providing biotech and pharmaceutical companies with clinical research management services. During the past 9 years, we have worked on over 50 clinical studies researching innovative ways to manage or cure diseases related to the eye.
Founding Sponsors
Clarus
Clarus is a global investment firm dedicated to life sciences. Founded in 2005, our Portfolio includes public and private companies in the biotechnology and healthcare diagnostic sectors. Clarus is presently managing $2.6 billion.
InterWest Partners
For over 37 years InterWest has partnered with entrepreneurs to build award winning healthcare and technology companies. As we complete investing InterWest X, a $650M fund, we continue to believe that providing capital is just the beginning of a long-term collaboration with entrepreneurs to turn their vision into a thriving company.
Versant Ventures
Versant Ventures is a leading healthcare investment firm committed to helping exceptional entrepreneurs build the next generation of great healthcare companies. The firm invests across the healthcare sector and at all stages of company development, with an emphasis on the discovery and development of novel therapeutics. With $1.9 billion under management and offices in North America and Europe, Versant has built a team with deep investment, operating, and scientific expertise that enables a hands-on approach to company building. Since the firm’s founding in 1999, nearly 50 Versant companies have achieved successful acquisitions or IPOs.