Ocugen Announces Appointments to Retina Disease and Ocular Graft-Versus-Host Disease Scientific Advisory Boards
November 04 2019 - 7:30AM
Ocugen, Inc., (NASDAQ: OCGN), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical
company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing a
pipeline of innovative therapies that address rare and underserved
eye diseases, today announced the appointment of retina and ocular
Graft-Versus-Host Disease (oGVHD) scientific advisory boards
comprised of prominent experts to provide strategic advice,
clinical and regulatory support, and scientific and industry
expertise.
Shankar Musunuri, Ph.D., MBA, Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder
remarked, “We are thrilled to welcome this group of industry
thought leaders to the Ocugen Scientific Advisory Board as we
advance our Phase 3 oGVHD program and continue the development of
our modifier gene therapy program to reach the clinic.”
The retina scientific advisory board consists of:
- David Boyer, M.D.Dr. Boyer is a world-renowned
clinician, surgeon and educator. His areas of specialty include the
treatment of diseases of the retina and vitreous. He is currently a
leading investigator for various national clinical trials on
retinal diseases and serves as an advisor for multiple research,
educational and charitable institutions.
- Carl D. Regillo, M.D., F.A.C.S.Dr. Regillo is
Professor of Ophthalmology at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at
Thomas Jefferson University, Chief of the Retina Service at Wills
Eye Hospital and founder and former director of the Wills Eye
Clinical Retina Research Unit in Philadelphia. He has been the
principal investigator of numerous major clinical trials developing
new medical and surgical treatments for retinal disorders such as
macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy and has authored more
than 200 publications along with over 30 book chapters and nine
major books. As a recognized leader in the field, he is a recipient
of many national and international awards, including the American
Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement, Senior Achievement,
Secretariat, and Lifetime Achievement Awards and the American
Society of Retinal Specialists Honor and Senior Honor Awards. He
was also selected as a Charter Inductee of the Retina Hall of Fame
and named to the Ophthalmologist Power List (Top 100 most
influential people in the world of ophthalmology).
- Mark Pennesi, M.D., Ph.D.Dr. Pennesi is an
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the Oregon Health &
Science University (OHSU) School of Medicine and Division Chief of
the Ophthalmic Genetics Service at the OHSU Casey Eye Institute.
Since joining the OHSU faculty, Dr. Pennesi has been a principal
investigator on many first-in-human clinical trials including for:
LCA Type II and Type 10, Usher Syndrome Type IB and 2A, Stargardt
disease, X-linked Retinoschisis, X-Linked retinitis pigmentosa and
achromatopsia.
- Geeta Lalwani, M.D.Dr. Lalwani is the founder
of Rocky Mountain Retina Associates, where she specializes in the
medical and surgical treatment of retinal diseases. Prior to
founding Rocky Mountain Retina, Dr. Lalwani served as an Assistant
Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at the University of Miami’s
prestigious Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. Dr. Lalwani completed her
fellowship in vitreoretinal surgery at the Bascom Palmer Eye
Institute, and ophthalmology residency at Case Western
Reserve, and received her M.D. from Drexel University. Dr. Lalwani
is Board Certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. She
is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmologists, American
Society of Retina Specialists, the Vit-Buckle Society, EnVision
Summit and the esteemed Retina Society.
The oGVHD scientific advisory board members include:
- Todd Margolis, M.D., Ph.D.Dr. Margolis is the
Albert and Edith Wolff Professor and Chairman, John F. Hardesty MD,
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Washington
University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. Prior to
joining Washington University, Dr. Margolis served as professor of
ophthalmology and the Rose B. Williams Chair for Research in
Corneal Diseases at the University of California, San Francisco
(UCSF). Dr. Margolis’ clinical expertise is in the diagnosis and
management of infectious and inflammatory eye disease, with a
particular interest in eye disease due to herpes viruses and ocular
disease in immune-compromised patients.
- Daniel Couriel, M.D., M.S.Since 2015, Dr.
Couriel has served as director of the Huntsman Cancer Institute
Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at the University of Utah,
where he also serves as Professor in the Division of Hematology and
Hematologic Malignancies. Prior to that, he served as Clinical
Professor and Director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program
at the University of Michigan. His research interests are
associated with new treatments and biomarkers for acute and chronic
graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). He serves on the Editorial Board
of Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, the official
journal of the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular
Therapy. Additionally, he co-chaired the GVHD subcommittee for the
Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research
(CIBMTR), and the Ancillary and Supportive Care committee of a
National Institutes of Health Consensus Project on Chronic
GVHD.
- Paul M. Karpecki, O.D., F.A.A.O.Dr. Karpecki
currently serves as Clinical Director, Corneal Services and
Advanced Ocular Surface Disease at Kentucky Eye Institute in
Lexington, Kentucky and as a clinician for Gaddie Eye Centers in
Louisville, Kentucky. He also serves as an Associate Professor at
the Kentucky College of Optometry in Pikeville, Kentucky and is the
Medical Director for Kepler Vision and the Dry Eye Institutes of
Indiana, Arizona and Colorado. Dr. Karpecki was appointed to the
Delphi International Society at Wilmer-Johns Hopkins, which
included the top 25 dry eye experts in the world. He co-chaired the
Dry Eye Summit for the profession, was selected to the Tear Film
and Ocular Surface Society (TFOS) Dry Eye Workshop (DEWS) II
Diagnostic Methodology sub-committee and appointed co-chair of the
2016 TFOS Symposium in Montpellier, France. He also served as
co-chair of the Dry Eye Session at the Ophthalmic Innovations
Summit (OIS) during the American Society of Cataract and Refractive
Surgery Annual Meeting in 2018 and co-chair of the inaugural
OIS@SECO in New Orleans, Louisiana. He currently serves as the
Chief Medical Editor for Review of Optometry.
- Michael E. Stern, Ph.D.Dr. Stern is Chief
Scientific Officer at ImmunEyeZ LLC. He is also co-director of
Ocular Immunology at IOBA, University of Valladolid, Spain, and
Visiting Professor – Division of Dry Eye and Ocular GVHD in the
Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Cologne, Germany.
He previously served as Principal Scientist and Vice-President,
Inflammation Research at Allergan PLC. During his 26-year tenure at
Allergan, Dr. Stern led an effort elucidating the pathophysiology
of dry eye. Dr. Stern and his laboratory were essential in defining
this disease as an immune-based inflammation of the Lacrimal
Functional Unit.
About Ocugen, Inc. Ocugen, Inc. is a clinical
stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing
and commercializing a pipeline of innovative therapies that address
rare and underserved eye diseases. The Company offers a robust and
diversified ophthalmology portfolio that includes novel gene
therapies, biologics, and small molecules and targets a broad range
of high-need retinal and ocular surface diseases. Ocugen is
leveraging its groundbreaking modifier gene therapy platform to
address genetically diverse inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) and
dry AMD, based on nuclear hormone receptor genes NR2E3 (OCU400) and
RORA (OCU410), respectively. OCU400 has received two orphan drug
designations (ODD) targeting two distinct IRDs. Ocugen is also
developing novel biologic therapies for wet-AMD, DME and diabetic
retinopathy (OCU200), as well as for retinitis pigmentosa (OCU100).
The Company’s late-stage Phase 3 trial for patients with ocular
graft versus host disease (oGVHD)(OCU300) leverages Ocugen’s
patented OcuNanoE – Ocugen’s ONE Platform™ technology to enhance
the efficacy of topical ophthalmic therapeutics. OCU300 is the
first and only therapeutic with ODD for oGVHD, providing certain
regulatory and economic benefits. For more information, please
visit www.ocugen.com.
Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking
StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking
statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to risks and uncertainties.
We may, in some cases, use terms such as “predicts,” “believes,”
“potential,” “proposed,” “continue,” “estimates,” “anticipates,”
“expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “may,” “could,” “might,” “will,”
“should” or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or
outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. Such
statements are subject to numerous important factors, risks and
uncertainties that may cause actual events or results to differ
materially from the Company’s current expectations. These and other
risks and uncertainties are more fully described in our periodic
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”),
including the risk factors described in the section entitled “Risk
Factors” in the Registration Statement on Form S-4 (Reg. No.
333-232147), as amended, filed with the SEC by Ocugen, Inc. (f/k/a
Histogenics Corporation). Any forward-looking statements that the
Company makes in this press release speak only as of the date of
this press release. The Company assumes no obligation to update
forward-looking statements contained in this press release whether
as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after
the date of this press release.
Corporate Contact:
Ocugen, Inc.
Kelly Beck
kelly.beck@ocugen.com
+1 484-328-4698
Media Contact:
LaVoieHealthScience
Emmie Twombly
etwombly@lavoiehealthscience.com
+1 857-389-6042
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