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.
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.
Major Sponsors
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.
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (formerly pSivida Corp.) is a specialty biopharmaceutical company committed to developing and commercializing innovative ophthalmic products in indications with high unmet medical need to help improve the lives of patients with serious eye disorders. The Company has developed 3 FDA-approved sustained-release treatments in ophthalmology. In addition, DEXYCU (dexamethasone intraocular suspension) 9% was approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on February 9, 2018.
Genentech
Founded 40 years ago, Genentech is a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat patients with serious or life-threatening medical conditions. The company, a member of the Roche Group, has headquarters in South San Francisco, California.
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.
Regeneron
Regeneron (NASDAQ: REGN) is a leading science-based biopharmaceutical company based in Tarrytown, New York that discovers, invents, develops, manufactures, and commercializes medicines for the treatment of serious medical conditions.
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
Alimera Sciences
Alimera Sciences specializes in the research, development and commercialization of ophthalmic pharmaceuticals. Our commitment to retina specialists and their patients is manifest in our product and development portfolio designed to treat retina diseases. Our sustained release product, ILUVIEN, for the treatment of DME was launched in 2014.
Allegro Ophthalmics
Allegro Ophthalmics is establishing integrin peptide therapy as the next-generation pharmaceutical category for the treatment of vitreoretinal diseases. Currently in multiple Phase 2 studies, Allegro’s Luminate has the potential to provide new treatment options for patients with diabetic macular edema, non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, neovascular age-related macular degeneration and vitreomacular traction.
GenSight Biologics
GenSight Biologics is a clinical-stage biopharma company focused on developing gene therapies for retinal neurodegenerative diseases and central nervous system disorders. GenSight pipeline leverages two core technology platforms, Mitochondrial Targeting Sequence (MTS) and optogenetics to help preserve or restore vision in patients suffering from blinding retinal diseases. GenSight lead product candidate, GS010, is in PhaseIII trials in Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), a rare mitochondrial disease leading to irreversible blindness in teens and young adults. GenSight product candidates are designed to be administered in single treatment to each eye by intravitreal injection to offer patients a sustainable functional visual recovery.
Graybug Vision
Graybug Vision is developing novel products for the treatment of people with ocular diseases. The company’s lead product, GB-102, has the potential for twice per year injections to treat patients with neovascular (wet) AMD. Graybug Vision has developed a library of compounds to treat glaucoma per year into the subconjunctiva.
Ocugenix
Ocugenix is a therapeutic company that is focused on developing a new class of protein therapeutics that reverse both the fibrosis and angiogenesis that are characteristic of wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD), diabetic retinopathy and other angiopathic diseases. The technology is based on over 15 years of NIH funded research into the molecular mechanism of wound healing. At the end of wound healing, a molecular pathway is activated which induces a natural anti-angiogenic and anti-fibrotic process. Our compounds activate this natural mechanism to cause regression of the fibrotic and angiogenic network in the eye offering patients the best chance to restore their eyesight. The compound has been shown to have excellent results in animal models as well as a favorable safety profile.
ONL Therapeutics
ONL Therapeutics (ONL) is an emerging ocular therapeutics company committed to protecting and improving the vision of patients with diseases of both the inner and outer retina. ONL is pioneering an entirely new and broadly applicable approach to preserving sight. With relevance to a wide range of diseases including retinal detachment, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and both wet and dry AMD, ONL is first and only company focused on preventing the death of retinal cells caused by Fas (CD95) activation and the initiation of multiple death and inflammatory signaling pathways resulting to cell death and vision loss. ONL1204, ONL's lead candidate with an FDA orphan designation for retinal detachment, is completing IND-enabling studies and with an IND to be submitted in 2018.
RFE Pharma
RFE Pharma Corp. is developing novel small molecule therapies for Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and/or Diabetic Retinopathy (DR). The Company’s lead product is RFE-007-CAI, which has been acquired from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Systemically administered CAI did not cause significant toxicity in over 900 patients. RFE Pharma has repositioned and reformulated this drug as an intravitreal ocular injectable therapy, and is targeting the IND filing of RFE-007-CAI proprietary intravitreal injectable formulations. Both a nanoparticle and cyclodextrin formulation are non-toxic and anti-angiogenic in multiple animal models of ocular neovascularization. CAI has also been incorporated into a PLGA matrix. RFE has secured $1.25MM of private equity financing from GenPharma, a private investor network, for its first round of financing the IND.
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.
Media Partners
Bryn Mawr Communications
Bryn Mawr Communications’ (BMC) eye care publications are uniquely positioned in ophthalmology to serve both physicians’ and industry’s needs.
Cataract & Refractive Surgery Today, Cataract & Refractive Surgery Today Europe, Glaucoma Today, Retina Today, MillennialEYE, and CollaborativeEYE showcase in-depth coverage of surgical approaches, device development, pharmacologic innovations, industry trends, and practice management.
By partnering with key opinion leaders, BMC’s eye care publications balance institutional wisdom with fresh perspectives through print magazines, an expansive video library, and timely news feeds. BMC’s in-house production team brings information directly to physicians through live meetings, simulcasted symposia, live surgeries, and more.
Ethis
The mission of Ethis, Inc., is to facilitate global innovation in eyecare by providing strategic analysis, exceptional content across a wide range of media, and an extensive network of key ophthalmic and optometric opinion leaders to our industry and academic partners around the world.
EyeWorld
As the news and feature magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery, EyeWorld serves as the premier publication for anterior segment surgeons. The magazine provides comprehensive ophthalmic news and the latest clinical information in the areas of cataract, refractive, cornea, glaucoma, and retina. Each article is carefully reviewed by the editorial staff and the article’s sources before publication. EyeWorld Meeting Reporter/Video Reporter is produced live onsite and contains information on the latest cutting-edge technologies and techniques in the ophthalmic industry. The EyeWorld Education Hub is a new way to view content. Simply choose a disease state to view surgical videos, symposia, webinars, clinical interviews, and articles on that topic.
Market Scope
Market Scope is the leading source for market data, independent perspective, and objective analysis in today’s ophthalmic marketplace.
Market Scope surveys ophthalmologists regarding procedure volumes, surgical techniques, and product use. This data, along with an extensive database, wide-ranging knowledge of ophthalmic products and technology, and comprehensive network of industry contacts, is used to create more than 20 specialized, yearly reports on the ophthalmic industry.
These reports are used to measure performance, make investment decisions, and allocate resources and serve as starting points for many annual planning cycles, strategic plans, acquisition analyses, and return on investment decisions in the industry. Market Scope has been committed to ophthalmology for more than 20 years and continues to be the most highly valued source for accurate and timely information about ophthalmic markets.
Ophthalmology Times
Ophthalmology Times is a physician-driven publication that disseminates news and information of a clinical, socioeconomic, and political nature in a timely and accurate manner for members of the ophthalmic community. With clinical coverage that focuses on cutting-edge advancements in surgery, drug therapies, technology, and clinical diagnosis and an unparalleled engagement of over 300,000 touchpoints per month, Ophthalmology Times is a one-stop information resource for ophthalmologists.
Retina Specialist
Retina Specialist focuses on the latest advances in the medical management and surgical treatment of diseases of the retina, along with practical, real-world advice from leading clinicians and other experts on the keys to a successful retina practice. The retina specialist value it as a must-read resource from the publishers of Review of Ophthalmology.
The Ophthalmologist
Three key characteristics set The Ophthalmologist apart:
First, we tell stories. We’re able to tell some of the greatest stories in ophthalmology – straight from the people leading the work, in order to educate, inform, influence and entertain.
Second, we provide genuine insight. The team gets it. The Editorial team all have an academic biomedical research background, have written the papers and stood at the podium. We speak “doctor”, we “do” research.
Third, we engage with everyone. Insight comes from observation and conversation. We travel the world to meet and hear what ophthalmologists, entrepreneurs, key industry figures, and policymakers have to say – and that’s directly reflected in the content.
touchOPHTHALMOLOGY
touchOPHTHALMOLOGY.com is an independent information resource designed to support physicians, clinicians and related healthcare professionals in continuously developing their knowledge, effectiveness and productivity, with open access articles and multimedia content.
The US Ophthalmic Review is a peer-reviewed, open access, bi-annual journal specializing in the publication of balanced and comprehensive review articles written by leading authorities to address the most important and salient developments in the field of ophthalmology. The aim of these reviews is to break down the high science from 'data-rich' primary papers and provide practical advice and opinion on how this information can help physicians in the day to day clinical setting.
Supporting Organization
OWL
Advancing Diversity in Leadership. OWL is a 900+ member professional organization focused on leadership development. Our mission is to promote and develop diverse leadership to advance Ophthalmic Innovation and Patient Care. We hold local "OWL Connect" events, online learning sessions and Signature Events at ASCRS and AAO.