SPONSORS
PREMIER SPONSORS
Astellas Pharma
Astellas Pharma US, Inc., is a U.S. affiliate of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc., with its headquarters located in Northbrook, Illinois. More than 3,000 Astellas employees are based in the United States. Astellas is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products.
Bausch + Lomb
Bausch + Lomb is dedicated to protecting and enhancing the gift of sight for millions of people around the world – from the moment of birth through every phase of life. Its comprehensive portfolio of more than 400 products includes contact lenses, lens care products, eye care products, ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter products and ophthalmic surgical devices and instruments. Founded in 1853, Bausch + Lomb has a significant global research and development, manufacturing and commercial footprint with more than 12,000 employees and a presence in nearly 100 countries. Bausch + Lomb is headquartered in Vaughan, Ontario with corporate offices in Bridgewater, New Jersey. For more information, visit www.bausch.com and connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
SUPPORTING SPONSORS
Genentech
Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, has more than 40 years of experience in the field of biotechnology. Genentech is researching and developing new treatments for people living with a range of eye diseases that cause significant visual impairment and blindness, including wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), diabetic retinopathy (DR), geographic atrophy (GA), and other retinal diseases.
Ocular Therapeutix
Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. (NASDAQ:OCUL) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the formulation, development, and commercialization of innovative therapies for diseases and conditions of the eye using its proprietary bioresorbable hydrogel-based formulation technology. Our robust product pipeline positions Ocular Therapeutix to become a leader in the ophthalmic space due to our ability to create drug delivery solutions that reduce the complexity and burden of the current standard of care by developing sustained release alternatives. With a focus on advancing our products through to Phase 3 clinical trials, our intention is to develop a commercially viable portfolio to overcome the issues of patient compliance and adherence by providing means of more consistent and reliable drug dosing for better patient outcomes.
Opthea
Opthea (ASX/NASDAQ:OPT) is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies to address the unmet need in the treatment of highly prevalent and progressive retinal diseases, including wet age-related macular degeneration
(wet AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME).
Opthea’s lead product candidate, sozinibercept, is being evaluated in two pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials (COAST, NCT04757636, and ShORe, NCT04757610) for use in combination with standard-of-care anti-VEGF-A monotherapies to improve overall efficacy and deliver superior vision gains compared to standard-of-care anti-VEGF-A agents.
Stuart Therapeutics
Stuart Therapeutics (Stuart) is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on the development of a unique synthetic protein designed to target a previously undruggable target in the human body: helical collagen. The company’s platform technology, called PolyColTM (PolyCol), is a series of synthesized amino acid sequences designed to specifically bind to and repair disease-damaged helical collagen in the extracellular matrix and in membranes. These helical collagen structures play an important role in healthy tissues, including the regulation of inflammation, cell growth and proliferation, among many other processes.
Stuart was founded in 2018 to champion a new approach to the treatment of chronic diseases. Each of our founders has been affected directly or indirectly by chronic eye disease, and we have a passion for the pursuit of new and effective solutions for these indications.
Stuart’s areas of interest are Dry Eye Disease, Glaucoma, Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Myopia.
INNOVATION SPONSORS
Adverum Biotechnologies
Adverum Biotechnologies (NASDAQ: ADVM) is a clinical-stage company that aims to establish gene therapy as a new standard of care for highly prevalent ocular diseases with the aspiration of developing functional cures for these diseases to restore vision and prevent blindness. Leveraging the research capabilities of its proprietary, intravitreal (IVT) platform, Adverum is developing durable, single-administration therapies, designed to be delivered in physicians’ offices, to eliminate the need for frequent ocular injections to treat these diseases. Adverum is evaluating its novel gene therapy candidate, ixoberogene soroparvovec (Ixo-vec, formerly referred to as ADVM-022), as a one-time, IVT injection for patients with neovascular or wet age-related macular degeneration. By overcoming the challenges associated with current treatment paradigms for these debilitating ocular diseases, Adverum aspires to transform the standard of care, preserve vision, and create a profound societal impact around the globe. For more information, please visit www.adverum.com.
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: EYPT) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to developing and commercializing therapeutics to help improve the lives of patients with serious retinal diseases. The Company's pipeline leverages its proprietary bioerodible Durasert E ™ technology for sustained intraocular drug delivery. The Company’s lead product candidate, EYP-1901, is an investigational sustained delivery.
Neurotech Pharmaceuticals
Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a private clinical stage biotech company focused on developing transformative therapies to slow the progression of Macular Telangiectasia (MacTel) Type 2 and other chronic retinal diseases through its core platform technology, Encapsulated Cell Therapy (ECT). To learn more, visit https://www.neurotechpharmaceuticals.com/.
Oculis
Oculis is a global biopharmaceutical company purposefully driven to save sight and improve eye care. Oculis’ highly differentiated clinical-stage pipeline includes: OCS-01, a topical candidate in Phase 3 for diabetic macular edema and inflammation and pain following ocular surgery; OCS-02, a topical biologic candidate in Phase 2b for dry eye disease and uveitis; and OCS-05, a disease modifying candidate for acute optic neuritis and other neuro-ophthalmic disorders. Headquartered in Switzerland and with operations in the US, Oculis’ goal is to deliver life-changing eye treatments to patients worldwide. The company is led by an experienced management team and supported by leading international healthcare investors.
Ocuphire Pharma
Ocuphire Pharma is a clinical-stage ophthalmic biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for the treatment of refractive and retinal eye disorders.
Nyxol is being developed for several indications including pharmacologically-induced mydriasis, presbyopia, and dim light or night vision disturbances. Nyxol is an investigational 505(b)(2) product candidate that has been studied in over 650 subjects across 12 completed Phase 1, 2, and 3 trials.
Our second product candidate, APX3330, is a twice-a-day oral tablet designed to inhibit angiogenesis and inflammation pathways relevant to retinal and choroidal vascular diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema.
APX3330 has been studied in over 340 patients across six Phase 1 and five Phase 2 trials.
ONL Therapeutics
ONL Therapeutics (ONL) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to protecting and improving the vision of patients with retinal disease. By advancing a breakthrough technology designed to protect key retinal cells from Fas-mediated cell death, ONL is pioneering a new approach to preserving vision. ONL is developing a platform of products for use in a wide range of blinding diseases, including retinal detachment, glaucoma, AMD and IRD. ONL1204, the Company's lead compound, is currently being used in three Phase 1b studies in the indications of retinal detachment, Geographic Atrophy and Open Angle Glaucoma. The Company is preparing to enter Phase 2 studies in the same indications.
Outlook Therapeutics
Outlook Therapeutics is a pre-commercial biopharmaceutical company working to develop and launch ONS-5010 / LYTENAVA™ (bevacizumab-vikg) as the first FDA-approved ophthalmic formulation of bevacizumab for use in retinal indications, including wet AMD, DME and BRVO. Outlook Therapeutics submitted a Biologics License Application (BLA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for ONS-5010 to treat wet AMD on March 30, 2022. After conversations with the FDA about its filing, the Company has voluntarily withdrawn the BLA as it works to provide supplemental information that the FDA has requested. Outlook Therapeutics remains in active discussions with the FDA and expects to resubmit the BLA by September 2022. If ONS-5010 is approved, Outlook Therapeutics expects to commercialize it as the first and only FDA-approved ophthalmic formulation of bevacizumab for use in treating retinal diseases in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Japan, Greater China and other markets. Outlook Therapeutics’ BLA submission for ONS-5010 is as a new BLA under the PHSA 351(a) regulatory pathway.
If ONS-5010 is approved, the Company expects to commercialize it through best-in-class partnerships. To date, Outlook Therapeutics has manufacturing partnerships with Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies and Ajinomoto Biopharma Services to provide product manufacturing in their best-in-class cGMP global manufacturing facilities.
Outlook Therapeutics has also executed a supply agreement for a best-in-class pre-filled ophthalmic syringe that will provide both ease-of-use for clinicians and add to ONS-5010’s potential safety profile over the current unapproved therapies that have caused problems related to syringe malfunction, contamination, etc.
Outlook Therapeutics intends to create goodwill and acceptance among payors, retinal specialists and patients by offering excellent value in an FDA-approved ONS-5010.
Viridian Therapeutics
Viridian Therapeutics is developing potential best-in-class medicines for people living with autoimmune and rare diseases, including multiple clinical candidates for the treatment of thyroid eye disease (TED). Viridian aims to advance VRDN-001 as a differentiated intravenous therapy and VRDN-003 as a potential best-in-class subcutaneous therapy for the treatment of TED.
MEDIA PARTNER
