Biopharma | Ophthalmology Innovation Source

Aura’s CEO Describes the Challenges of Ocular Melanoma

Elisabet “Eli” de los Pinos founded Aura Biosciences in 2009 to chase down innovative treatments for cancer. AURA, which made its first presentation at OIS in 2015, is reporting promising progress with AU-O11, a drug delivery technology that can deliver cancer-killing drugs to the surface of the eye. Speaking With: Elisabet de los Pinos, PhD…

Duker Sees “Energy” Being Added to Gene Therapy Field

Jay Duker, MD, Director of the New England Eye Center and Chairman of Ophthalmology at Tufts Medical Center and the Tufts University School of Medicine, tells OISTV the approval of gene therapy products including Spark Therapeutics’ SPK-RPE65 would help the sector clear a “real and psychological” hurdle facing gene therapy companies. Speaking With: Jay Duker,…

Welcome & Chairman’s 2015 Year in Review

Presenter: Emmett T. Cunningham Jr., MD, PhD, MPH Dr. Cunningham joined Clarus Ventures with 20+ years in the biomedical and biopharmaceutical sectors. Prior, Dr. Cunningham was the SVP, Medical Strategy at Eyetech Pharmaceuticals. View Full Profile

Saunders Promises ‘Greater Impact’ on Ophthalmology

With the planned combination of Pfizer and Allergan to create the world’s largest pharmaceutical company, Brent Saunders, a key player in two significant acquisitions of eye care firms over the past three years, will assume a leading role in the combined company. Saunders, president and CEO of Allergan, will serve as president and COO of…

Aura Biosciences Offers Hope for Ocular Melanoma

[creativ_pullleft colour=”light-gray” colour_custom=”” text=”Episode 067″] Elisabet “Eli” de los Pinos was enjoying her job at Eli Lilly’s Oncology Business Unit where she was part of the leadership team responsible for Alimta’s market launch in Europe, a new drug for the treatment of Lung Cancer. But she took the leap, leaving corporate comfort to build Aura…

Allegro Ophthalmics

Allegro Ophthalmics describes itself as a “mid-stage biotech company.” Its lead agent, Luminate, is an integrin peptide therapy that is the subject of a number of Phase II trials, including a trial that released topline data in September on its efficacy in vitreomacular traction. Other Phase IIb trials in progress are investigating Luminate for the…

Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation (AGTC)

CEO Mark Shearman, MD, PhD, describes Applied Genetic Technologies Corp., known as AGTC, as a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing its proprietary gene vector technology for treatment of orphan monogenic diseases of the retina. AGTC signed an R&D partnership with Biogen to oversee biological development and commercialization of its platform, which Dr. Shearman described…

Inotek Pharmaceuticals

David P. Southwell, president and CEO of Inotek Pharmaceuticals, spelled out the focus of his clinical-stage biopharmaceutical firm in no uncertain terms at OIS@AAO. “Inotek is focused on glaucoma,” he said. “Clearly the optimal eyedrop to treat glaucoma would be one that both lowers intraocular pressure (IOP) in a well-tolerated fashion and is also neuroprotective.”…

Eleven Biotherapeutics

Eleven Biotherapeutics is using its proprietary AMP-Rx protein-engineering platform to develop agents for more effective treatment of allergic conjunctivitis as well as to investigate new treatments for patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) who do not respond to anti-VEGF therapy. In October, the company had completed enrollment in its double-masked, randomized, vehicle-controlled Phase III pivotal…

Aura Biosciences

Patients with ocular melanoma have very few treatment options, and those that exist – removal of the eye or plaque radiation – leave them blind within two years. Aura Biosciences has received orphan drug designation from the Food and Drug Administration for its class of intravitreal therapies that target ocular melanoma, founder and CEO Elisabet…

Acucela

Participant: Ryo Kubota, MD, PhD Acucela is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that specializes in discovering and developing novel therapeutics to treat and slow the progression of sight-threatening ophthalmic diseases affecting millions of individuals worldwide. View Full Profile

Ocata Therapeutics

Ocata Therapeutics, which has trademarked the term Regenerative Ophthalmology, is developing stem cell therapies for Stargardt macular degeneration, dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and myopic macular degeneration, Chief Medical Officer Eddy Anglade, MD, reported at OIS@AAO. The company’s intellectual property portfolio includes pluripotent stem cell platforms – hESC and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) –…