CDR-Life Announces Formation Of Scientific Advisory Board

ZURICH, May 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CDR-Life Inc., a biotechnology company focused on advancing therapeutic antibody fragments in the areas of ophthalmology and oncology, today announced the formation of a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) comprised of academic and industry experts in the field of ophthalmology from both the United States and Europe.

The Scientific Advisory Board will serve as a vital strategic resource to the Company to develop novel treatments for ophthalmic diseases. In addition to guiding CDR-Life’s research and development activities, including clinical trial designs, the SAB will also identify new target indications and will evaluate strategic assets that leverage the management’s expertise in therapeutic antibody fragments.

“We are pleased to welcome this diverse group of ophthalmic experts, representing thought leaders from clinical practice and academia, to our newly formed Scientific Advisory Board,” said Dominik Escher, PhD, executive chairman of CDR-Life. “The expertise that they bring to our executive team and Board will prove invaluable as we refine our clinical plan and work to bring novel therapies to patients in need.”

“We believe our approach to developing novel therapeutic antibody fragments holds significant potential in ophthalmology and oncology where unmet medical needs persist,” said Christian Leisner, PhD, chief executive officer of CDR-Life. “We look forward to leveraging the varied experience of our new Scientific Advisory Board as we pursue the efficient development of our proprietary molecules.”

The Advisory Board members include:

Reza Dana, MD
Director at Harvard Medical School, Department of Ophthalmology, Cornea Center of Excellence
Dr. Dana is an internationally recognized expert in corneal disorders and ocular inflammation. A graduate of Johns Hopkins and Harvard, Dr. Dana holds the Claes Dohlman Chair in Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. A ‘Gold Fellow’ of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), he has authored over 280 peer-reviewed articles and over 120 reviews and book chapters. Dr. Dana has delivered more than 200 invited and named lectures worldwide and has been the recipient of numerous awards. In addition to his Ophthalmology appointment at Harvard, he serves on the graduate immunology program (Committee on Immunology) at Harvard Medical School. He currently serves as Associate Editor of the journal Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science (IOVS) as well as serving on the editorial board of the journals Cornea, Scientific Reports (Nature Group), The Ocular Surface, Ophthalmologica, and UpToDate Rheumatology, among others. Dr. Dana leads a translational research program at Massachusetts Eye and Ear that has had ten Investigational New Drug (IND) applications accepted by the FDA to date.

Pravin Dugel, MD
Managing Partner, Retinal Consultants of Arizona (RCA)
Dr. Dugel is a world-renowned retinal specialist. In addition to RCA, he serves as a clinical professor at the University of Southern California Eye Institute, Keck School of Medicine. He is a founding member of Spectra Eye Institute, Sun City, and a Physician Executive Director at Banner Eye Institute, Banner University Medical Center, University of Arizona. Dr. Dugel has authored more than 200 papers and 35 book chapters. He serves on the editorial boards of several major medical journals, and has been a primary investigator in more than 100 multicenter clinical trials. Dr. Dugel is a recipient of the prestigious Senior Honor Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Columbia University in New York and attended the UCLA School of Medicine.

Frank G. Holz, MD
Chairman and Professor at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Bonn
Dr. Holz is a leading researcher in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and related imaging technologies. He has also been involved in several high profile clinical trials with innovative therapies for macular disease, and has contributed significant advances in the understanding of AMD phenotypes as well as macular telangiectasia, including characterizing the natural history in many patients and identifying early markers of the disease. For the last three decades, Dr. Holz has been at the forefront of clinical research using the most advanced retinal imaging modalities. He is one of the early adopters of confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy based fundus autofluorescence imaging as well as OCT-angiography. He founded the GRADE Reading Center Bonn to perform digital image analysis in multicentre clinical natural history and interventional trials. Dr. Holz serves as Editor-in-Chief of the journal of the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG), Der Ophthalmologe, is a past president of DOG, and Board member of Euretina. He has received numerous awards including the Pro Retina Macular Degeneration Research Award, the Leonhard-Klein Award for Ocular Surgery, the Alcon Research Institute (ARI) Award, the Senior Achievement Award of the AAO and the Jules Gonin Award. He published more than 400 articles in peer-reviewed journals and is editor of several books on retinal diseases.

Stephan Michels, MD
Professor at the University of Zurich and Vice Chair at City Hospital Triemli, Zurich, Switzerland
Dr. Michels currently serves as vice-chair and head of medical retina at the Department of Ophthalmology, City Hospital Triemli, as well as professor at the University of Zurich. He obtained his ophthalmology training at the University of Luebeck, Emory University in Atlanta, the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami and the Medical University of Vienna. Dr. Michels was the first to study the potential use of bevacizumab (Avastin®) and canakinumab (Ilaris®) in ophthalmology and is known for his work on therapeutic treatment strategies (PrONTO-Study). He has published more than 80 peer-reviewed articles and has acted as principal or co-investigator in more than 25 clinical trials. He is leading the largest single intravitreal injection center in Switzerland and one of the leading centers for clinical studies on macular diseases in Switzerland.

Manfred Zierhut, MD
Professor at University Hospital of Tuebingen, Germany
Dr. Zierhut holds degrees in chemistry and medicine from University of Tuebingen, and spent one year of his fellowship in ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. He is an expert in clinical and experimental immunology, including uveitis and dry-eye syndromes. Dr. Zierhut has completed more than 3,000 surgical procedures, and has written 130 journal articles, 65 book chapters, and 290 posters and presentations at medical conferences. He has authored or edited 25 books, has given more than 850 lectures, and has been the chief organizer of 36 congresses, workshops, and meetings. Dr. Zierhut was president of the International Uveitis Study Group from 2009 until 2013, and currently serves as head of the German Uveitis Patient Interest Group as well as Editor-in-Chief of Ocular Immunology and Inflammation.

About CDR-Life Inc.
CDR-Life develops next generation therapeutic antibody fragments targeting unmet medical needs in the areas of ophthalmology and oncology. The Company seeks to partner with leading biopharmaceutical companies to advance development of novel, high-potential, therapeutic antibody fragments. For more information, please visit www.cdr-life.com.

Avastin® is a registered trademark of Genentech USA, Inc.

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SOURCE CDR-Life Inc.