Aviceda Announces Additional World-Class Members to its Clinical Advisory Board to Support its Clinical Development Strategy in Ophthalmology

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aviceda Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech company focused on developing the next generation of immuno-modulators by harnessing the power of glycobiology to modulate the innate immune system and chronic, non-resolving inflammation, is announcing the addition of world-renowned top-tier ophthalmic key opinion leaders to its clinical advisory board.

The new additional Aviceda Clinical Advisory Board members are:

• Robert Avery, MD
• Rishi Singh, MD
• Baruch Kuppermann, MD, PHD

“Aviceda is excited to add new world-class ophthalmologists and retina specialists to join our efforts in developing the next generation of retina therapeutics for the treatment of patients with significant unmet medical needs such as age-related macular degeneration,” said David Callanan, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Aviceda Therapeutics.

Robert L. Avery, MD

Dr. Avery is the founder and CEO of California Retina Consultants, Santa Barbara CA. He received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University and took his ophthalmology training at the Wilmer Eye Institute. He completed a vitreoretinal fellowship at Duke University. He later went on to found California Retina Consultants, which grew into one of the largest retina practices in California and recently merged with several other national practices to form Retina Consultants of America. At CRC, Dr. Avery continued clinical and basic science research, especially in the field of angiogenesis and VEGF. He and his colleges at CRC had a role in pioneering the clinical use of anti-VEGF agents for retinal diseases. He founded the California Retina Research Foundation, which currently has over 30 active clinical research trials ongoing.

D. Avery has received numerous honors and awards, including Senior honor awards from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Retina Specialists, where he also serves on the board of directors. He was the first recipient of the Ronald G. Michels Fellowship Award. He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Retina Society, the Macula Society, the American Society of Retinal Specialists, the Vit-Buckle Society, and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Dr. Avery is the co-editor of Retina Today, and he has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles on retinal diseases. His interests include the development of improved retinal drugs and their delivery, and he holds patents in retinal drug delivery. He is on the board of several start-up companies developing ocular drugs and improving their delivery.

Rishi Singh, MD

Dr. Rishi P. Singh MD is a staff surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic Florida, Professor of Ophthalmology at the Lerner College of Medicine, and President of Cleveland Clinic Martin Hospitals in Stuart, FL. He received his bachelors and medical degrees from Boston University and completed his residency at the Massachusetts Eye and Infirmary Harvard Combined Program in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Singh then completed a medical and surgical fellowship at the Cole Eye Institute in Cleveland, Ohio.

He specializes in the treatment of medical and surgical retinal disease such as diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment, and age-related macular degeneration. Dr. Singh has authored more than 200 peer reviewed publications, books, and book chapters and serves as the principal investigator of numerous national clinical trials advancing the treatment of retinal disease. Dr. Singh is the former president on the Retina World Congress and is on the board of the American Society of Retina Specialists. He is a frequent invited speaker at national and international meeting as well as continuing medical education seminars. Dr. Singh maintains a strong relationship with drug development and commercial entities by serving on scientific advisory boards.

Dr. Singh has been honored with several research recognitions such as the Alpha Omega Alpha Research Award, the American Society of Retina Specialists Senior Honor Award, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology Senior Honor Award.

Baruch Kuppermann, MD, PhD

Baruch D. Kuppermann, M.D., Ph.D. is the Roger F. Steinert Professor, Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, and Director of the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute at the University of California, Irvine. He also holds a joint appointment with the Department of Biomedical Engineering at UC Irvine. After completing his Ph.D. in neuroscience at the California Institute of Technology, Dr. Kuppermann went on to earn an M.D. at the University of Miami, and completed fellowships in Retina at both St. Joseph’s, and at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Kuppermann is also co-director of the Center for Translational Vision Research at UC Irvine, which is focused on developing new treatments for blinding retinal conditions. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles in the medical literature, and over 50 book chapters. He is also strongly involved in clinical research, having served as principal investigator in many trials evaluating new drugs and technologies.

About Aviceda Therapeutics
Aviceda is a private biotechnology company located in Cambridge MA with a proprietary nano-technology HALOS™ platform and an IND-ready ophthalmic lead product for geographic atrophy (GA) secondary to dry AMD (dAMD). AVD-104 is an intravitreal molecule with a unique dual mechanism of action for the treatment of GA through its modulation of critical inflammatory & complement pathways. AVD-104 has demonstrated robust in-vitro/vivo efficacy with inhibition of both inflammatory & complement pathways with the potential for up to every 6-month dosing. Superior safety was demonstrated in multiple animal models including non-human primates. GLP-Tox studies were completed in two species which demonstrated excellent safety and no signs of any intra-ocular inflammation. In addition, AVD-104 has demonstrated equivalent prevention of neovascularization compared to Eylea in a well-established ocular CNV model. Based on the positive outcome of the pre-IND meeting with the FDA, IND submission for initiation of the Phase II trial is planned for 4Q22 with Fast Track Designation.

In addition to AVD-104, Aviceda has a broad pipeline of products in development in ophthalmology and other therapeutic areas such as neurology, fibrosis, and immunology.

Patrick Healy: phealy@avicedarx.com
PR: info@avicedarx.com