Bring back light to people whose world has gone dark

Dr. Michael J. Young is recognized for his significant contributions to the field of regenerative ophthalmology. Affiliated with the Schepens Eye Research Institute, an integral part of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Young's groundbreaking research has primarily centered around retinal diseases and potential regenerative therapies. His endeavors have shed light on stem cell-based approaches to treat conditions like age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa. Over the years, he has pioneered techniques to transplant retinal cells into diseased eyes, seeking ways to restore or prevent vision loss. Beyond his research, Dr. Young's influence extends to his roles as an educator and mentor, fostering the next generation of ophthalmologists and vision researchers. His unwavering commitment to advancing our understanding of retinal diseases and exploring therapeutic avenues stands as an inspiration to the medical community. His work at the Schepens Eye Research Institute underscores the importance of translational research in bridging the gap between laboratory findings and real-world applications, bringing hope to countless individuals affected by vision-related conditions.

Myron Spector, Ph.D., is Professor, Emeritus Orthopaedic Surgery (Biomaterials), Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Affiliate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he teaches 2 subjects: Tissue Engineering and Organ Regeneration; and Design of Medical Devices. He has 50+ years of experience in researching and developing biomaterials-based treatments for a wide array of medical problems, principally involving the principles and practice of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. His studies in the past 15 years have been directed toward the development of injectable biopolymer gels incorporating cells and/or regulatory molecules (viz., growth factors) for the treatment of lesions in the central nervous system, and musculoskeletal and dental tissues. His anorganic bovine bone graft product has been used in 15 million patients worldwide. From 1993-97, Professor Spector served as the Chairman of the FDA Advisory Panel for General and Plastic Surgery Devices. He served as the President of the Society for Biomaterials (1990-91), and has received awards from: the Society for Biomaterials (2002 Clemson Award for Applied Biomaterials Research); the Orthopaedic Research Society/American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (2001 Elizabeth Winston-Lanier Kappa Delta Award); and The Hip Society (2004 John Charnley Award). In 2005 he co-founded the journal, Biomedical Materials: Materials for Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine and served as its Editor-in Chief through 2019. Professor Spector has published 350+ journal articles.

Dr. Cepko is the Bullard Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School and the Blavatnik Institute, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She began working in labs at the age of 12, in the USDA's Forest Disease Laboratory, working with a mentor, Dr. John Palmer. She attended the University of Maryland where she majored in Microbiology and Biochemistry. She received her PhD degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, working with Phillip Sharp on adenovirus capsid assembly, and remained at MIT as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Richard Mulligan, where she was involved in the development of retrovirus-mediated gene transduction. She moved to Harvard Medical School as a faculty member to join the newly formed Department of Genetics in 1985. Dr. Cepko has launched and directed two graduate programs. She founded the Biological and Biomedical Sciences PhD Program with Dr. Clifford Tabin, and served as its Director for 11 years. She subsequently founded an enrichment program for self-selected PhD students from all of Harvard's life sciences graduate programs. This program, the Leder Human Biology and Translational Medicine, is now Co-Directed by Dr. Cepko and Dr. Thomas Michel. Dr. Cepko was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2002. In 2011, she received the Bressler Prize in Vision Science awarded to under-recognized scientists and clinicians in their field for her work in retina development. In 2019, she was selected by Brandeis University to give the Lisman Memorial Lecture in Vision Science

Dr. Stephen Redenti is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Lehman College and in the CUNY Graduate Center Doctoral programs in Biochemistry and Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology. A central goal of the Redenti Lab is to advance understanding of cell and tissue communication to contribute to repair of damaged neural tissue. To identify molecular mechanisms contributing to intrinsic cellular intelligence and decision-making we draw on evolutionary and developmental biology, bioinformatics, computer modeling and collaborative bioengineering strategies. An additional line of research in the lab involves analysis of stem cell and progenitor cell extracellular vesicle release rate, morphology, and molecular   content.   Our   initial   studies   have   focused   on   induced   pluripotent   stem   cell microvesicles characterization. We use Nanosight analysis, electron microscopy, proteomics, gene expression analysis and in silico modeling. The goals of this work include defining the significance of stem cell extracellular vesicles in maintaining pluripotency and toward application in nerve tissue regeneration.

Motoichi Kurisawa received his PhD degree from the School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), in 1998. He joined the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), A*STAR, in 2003, and is currently a Team Leader and Principal Research Scientist. He is a recipient of the outstanding paper award from the Journal of Artificial Organs in 1997 and 2002, and won the Grand Prize at The Crown Prince Creative, Innovative Product and Technical Advancement (CIPTA) Awards in 2015. He has served on the editorial board of the journal Biomedical Materials since 2016.

Dean   Eliott   M.D.,   is  Stelios Evangelos Gragoudas Professor of phthalmology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Eliott, Director of the Mass. Eye and Ear Retina Service, is a recognized leader in surgery for complexretinal conditions. As a clinical innovator and clinician scientist, Dr. Eliott wasamong the first surgeons to perform clinical trials in intravitreal sustaineddrug delivery device implantation, epiretinal vision-restoring electrical deviceimplantation, subretinal stem cell transplantation, and gene therapy for avariety of blinding retinal disorders. He discovered an innovative the rapeutic approach   to prevent intraocular scarring and blindness after retinaldetachment surgery, and was co-founder of Helio Vision Inc., which was acquired by Aldeyra Therapeutics.

Dr. Pennesi's interest in degenerative retinal disorders began shortly after his first year in college, when he spent a summer working at the Retina Foundation of the Southwest. He worked under the supervision of Dr. David Birch and saw patients with retinal degenerations such as retinitis pigmentosa as well as studying animal models of this disease. After college, Dr. Pennesi completed a combined M.D./Ph.D. at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. His thesis work focused on identifying new animal models of retinal degeneration. He received numerous awards while in graduate school, including the John J. Trentin Award for earning the highest GPA in his class and the BRASS scholarship for playing an active role in community service. For his residency training, Dr. Pennesi spent his internship year in San Diego at Scripps Mercy Hospital, followed by his ophthalmology residency at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Pennesi joined the faculty of Casey Eye Institute and is now a Professor in Ophthalmic Genetics and as the chief of the Ophthalmic Genetics Division. Both Research to Prevent Blindness and the Foundation Fighting Blindness have recognized Dr. Pennesi with career development awards to support his ambition to conduct transitional research that will bring treatments for diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa from the laboratory to the clinic. Additionally, he is the recipient of the 2011 ARVO/Alcon Early Clinician Scientist, the Alcon Young investigator Award in 2014, and the Casey Eye Institute Resident teach award. His research focuses on developing novel treatments for inherited retinal diseases. He is currently exploring the potential of a new class of drugs to up regulate protective growth factors in the retina.

Charles C. Wykoff, MD, PhD is Director of Research at Retina Consultants of Texas; Chairman of Research, Retina Consultants of America; and Deputy Chair of Ophthalmology for the Blanton Eye Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital. He received his baccalaureate from MIT, PhD from Oxford University while on a Marshall Scholarship, and MD from Harvard Medical School. His basic science research related to cellular adaption to oxygen availability and VEGF biology contributed to the 2019 Nobel Prize in Medicine that was awarded to his PhD supervisor Peter Ratcliffe. Dr. Wykoff completed ophthalmology residency and vitreoretinal fellowship at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute where he served as Chief Resident/Co-Director of Ocular Trauma and received a Heed Fellowship and the Ronald G. Michels Award. He is passionate about translational research and novel ways to accelerate drug and device development. He has published over 300 peer-reviewed manuscripts and serves on multiple scientific and medical advisory boards, safety monitoring committees, and global steering committees for endeavors spanning the innovative process from early to late-stage developments. He serves on the ASRS Board of Directors, is a founding member of the Ophthalmology Retina Editorial Board, is the Chief Medical Editor for Retina Specialist, and a past President of the Vit-Buckle Society.  He is a member of the NEI Audacious Goals Steering Committee and has been awarded multiple Achievement, Honor and Senior Honor Awards including the ASRS Young Investigator and the AAO Secretariat Awards. His guiding philosophy is to build and strengthen innovative, ethical teams focused on developing new approaches to improving outcomes for blinding diseases.

Eric D. Nudleman, M.D., Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at UC San Diego Shiley Eye Institute. He joined UC San Diego (UCSD) after completing his fellowship in vitreoretinal surgery at the renowned William Beaumont Hospital. Prior to his fellowship, Dr. Nudleman graduated from Stanford University with bachelors and doctoral degrees. He earned his medical degree at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in New York then went on to Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri for his residency. Dr. Nudleman is the recipient of many prestigious honors such as the Ronald G. Michels Fellowship, Heed Fellowship, the Doris P. and Harry I. Wexler Prize, Rosenbaum Research Award, and the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology/Research to Prevent Blindness Resident and Fellow Research Forum Award. He has participated in multiple National Eye Institute and industry-sponsored clinical trials. At UCSD, Dr. Nudleman's clinical focus is on vitreoretinal diseases and surgery, with a special interest in pediatric vitreoretinopathies. His laboratory focuses on developmental angiogenesis and the role of the Wnt signaling pathway with a particular interest in identifying novel targets to treat vascular diseases.

Laurens Bouckaert is an established biotech executive with extensive experience in global commercialization across multiple therapeutic areas, most recently in ophthalmology for over 10 years.  Mr. Bouckaert is recognized for his commercial expertise having been involved as an essential member of the product teams for a diverse range of therapeutics. Mr. Bouckaert’s current focus is on providing strategic support to emerging companies with innovative approaches to treating ophthalmic diseases, including guiding on optimizing the company’s portfolio for investors and strategic partners based on the commercial and development landscape. Mr. Bouckaert has a Masters Degree in Pharmaceutical Science and an MBA in Marketing Management from Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School (Belgium).

Eliot Lazar is an anterior segment surgeon who for a quarter century has been intimately involved in the evolution of the ophthalmology industry. He has played a central role in supporting the strategic landscape and has played an important part in assisting emerging companies in their growth and development. In this role Dr. Lazar has also been critical in the translation of technologies into relevant therapeutics, including both devices and therapeutics. He has also been intimately involved in the development and advancement of drug delivery technologies to the eye. Dr. Lazar has leaned into the financial side of the ophthalmology industry and in this role has also encouraged and informed the investment community as they move forward. He has worked endlessly to promote ophthalmology to the investment community and has collaborated in support of transactions of all sizes. Eliot continues to advocate for the industry across a broad spectrum and aspires to deploy his talents in the development of relevant clinical therapeutics to fulfill the unmet needs in ophthalmology.