Clearside Biomedical Establishes Scientific Advisory Board with Distinguished Retinal Physicians

ALPHARETTA, Ga., April 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clearside Biomedical, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLSD), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and delivering treatments that restore and preserve vision for people with serious back of the eye diseases, announced today the formation of a Scientific Advisory Board comprised of world-renowned retinal physicians to advise on the Company’s research and development programs. 

“Over the past year, we have been building awareness around the potential benefits of targeting treatment in the suprachoroidal space and working closely with retinal specialists to present data on this novel approach. These efforts have led to the formation of a group of leading retinal physicians who can provide real-world insights and validate the scientific rationale for our expanding pipeline programs. We are honored and grateful that Drs. Boyer, Brown, Holekamp, Kaiser and Regillo have joined our newly formed Scientific Advisory Board,” said Thomas A. Ciulla, M.D., MBA, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Development Officer of Clearside. “These physicians have collectively published at least a thousand scientific papers and are recognized thought leaders in the field of ophthalmology. We look forward to their guidance as we expand our research and clinical development strategy.”

“Clearside’s novel technology platform delivering proprietary pharmacologic agents to the suprachoroidal space may offer innovative new treatment options for our patients.  My advisory board colleagues and I look forward to working with the Clearside team as they advance their research and development programs and explore new therapeutic targets,” added Peter K. Kaiser, M.D.

Members of the Clearside Scientific Advisory Board:

David S. Boyer, M.D. is a clinician, surgeon, and educator at the Retina-Vitreous Associates Medical Group in Southern California. He is board certified in ophthalmology and has completed formal sub-specialty training in medical and surgical diseases of the retina, vitreous, and macula. Dr. Boyer 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. He received his medical degree from the Chicago Medical School, finished his residency at the Los Angeles County - USC County Medical Center, and completed his retinal surgery fellowship at the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia.

David M. Brown, M.D. is a medical and surgical retinal specialist and clinical trial specialist at Retina Consultants Houston. He has pioneered research in the areas of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vein occlusion. He is the director of the Greater Houston Retina Research Center, a clinical professor of Ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine, the Vice-Chair for research at the Blanton Eye Institute at Houston Methodist Hospital, and serves as the consultant retinal specialist for NASA. Dr. Brown received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine, and completed ophthalmology and retina training at the University of Iowa.

Nancy M. Holekamp, M.D. is a professor of Clinical Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the Washington University School of Medicine, and director of Retina Services at the Pepose Vision Institute, both in St. Louis, Missouri. She has been actively involved in clinical trials dealing with AMD, retinal vascular occlusion, and diabetic retinopathy. Dr. Holekamp serves as a reviewer for multiple major ophthalmology journals, and served on the American Academy of Ophthalmology Ethics Committee for six years. She received her medical degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, completed an internship in internal medicine and a residency in ophthalmology at the Washington University School of Medicine, and completed her fellowship training in vitreoretinal surgery with the Retina Consultants in St. Louis.

Peter K. Kaiser, M.D. is the Chaney Family Endowed Chair for Ophthalmology Research and a Professor of Ophthalmology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. As an NIH grant funded investigator, Dr. Kaiser leads a team involved in the evaluation of vascular biology in AMD and diabetic retinopathy, and is actively involved in numerous clinical trials. He is Editor-in-Chief of Retinal Physician, Associate Editor of International Ophthalmology Clinics, and serves on the editorial boards of several other publications. Dr. Kaiser received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, completed his internal medicine internship at Massachusetts General Hospital, an ophthalmology residency at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, and a vitreoretinal fellowship at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.

Carl D. Regillo, M.D., F.A.C.S is the Director of the Retina Service of Wills Eye Hospital, and Professor of Ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University School of Medicine. He is the principal investigator of numerous international clinical trials investigating new forms of treatment for macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and other retinal conditions.  Dr. Regillo is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and has served on the scientific editorial board for several ophthalmic publications. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and performed his internship in internal medicine at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and both his ophthalmology residency and vitreoretinal fellowship at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. After training, he was commissioned as a Major in the United States Air Force and served four years as a vitreoretinal surgeon at the San Diego Naval Medical Center.

About Clearside Biomedical

Clearside Biomedical, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and delivering treatments that restore and preserve vision for people with serious back of the eye diseases. Clearside’s proprietary SCS Microinjector™ targeting the suprachoroidal space (SCS^®) offers unique access to the macula, retina and choroid where sight-threatening disease often occurs. The Company’s SCS injection platform is an inherently flexible, in-office, non-surgical procedure, intended to provide targeted delivery to the site of disease and to work with both established and new formulations of medications, as well as future therapeutic innovations such as gene therapy. For more information, please visit www.clearsidebio.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by words such as “believe”, “expect”, “may”, “plan”, “potential”, “will”, and similar expressions, and are based on Clearside’s current beliefs and expectations. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding the potential of the suprachoroidal injection platform and the advancement of Clearside’s research and development programs. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such statements. Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially include uncertainties inherent in the conduct of clinical trials, Clearside’s reliance on third parties over which it may not always have full control, and other risks and uncertainties that are described in Clearside’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 13, 2020, and Clearside’s other Periodic Reports filed with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are based on information available to Clearside as of the date of this release, and Clearside assumes no obligation to, and does not intend to, update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investor and Media Contacts:

Jenny Kobin
Remy Bernarda
ir@clearsidebio.com
(678) 430-8206

Source: Clearside Biomedical, Inc.

Source: Clearside Biomedical, Inc.