Glenn C. Yiu, MD, PhD.

ALPHARETTA, Ga.—Clearside Biomedical, Inc. (Nasdaq: CLSD), a biopharmaceutical company, has announced the appointment of Glenn C. Yiu, MD, PhD, professor of ophthalmology at the University of California, Davis, to its scientific advisory board. The board is composed of industry-leading retinal physicians who provide medical and scientific expertise and input on its research and development programs, according to the company. “We are privileged to welcome Dr. Yiu to our scientific advisory board, given his leadership in the research and adoption of new delivery approaches for treating retinal diseases,” said Victor Chong, MD, MBA, chief medical officer of Clearside.

Dr. Chong added, “Over the past several months since I joined Clearside, I have met with many fellow retinal specialists in the academic and clinical practice settings. Dr. Yiu stood out as a leading authority on the use of suprachoroidal delivery. He has presented at multiple medical conferences and published peer-reviewed scientific articles on real world use of the SCS (suprachoroidal space) injection technique.

"In addition, Dr. Yiu engages in translational research to study the pathogenesis and develop therapies for age-related macular degeneration and other retinal diseases, with focuses on gene therapy, ocular imaging technologies, and animal models of retinal disease. His guidance and expertise will be invaluable as we plan for the next stages of development in our CLS-AX program and evaluate opportunities for pipeline expansion.” The company's CLS-AX (axitinib injectable suspension) is a treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD).

 
 
Dr. Yiu works at the University of California, Davis, as a clinician-scientist and cares for patients as a board-certified vitreoretinal surgeon. He completed his dual MD-PhD degrees at Harvard Medical School, completed his residency training at the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary along with a vitreoretinal fellowship at Duke.

He joined UC Davis in 2014, where he leads a translational research program studying age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other retinal diseases, with a focus on ocular imaging technologies, gene editing and delivery, and animal models of retinal disease. He also serves as the associate director of Davis-based Medical Student Research and is director of tele-ophthalmology at UC Davis, where he has pioneered a teleretinal screening program to expand eye screening among diabetic patients in California.

“Clearside is leading the way in suprachoroidal delivery with the only FDA-approved product for suprachoroidal use and a second program with an expected near-term clinical data readout for CLS-AX in the large wet AMD market,” said Dr. Yiu. “Suprachoroidal delivery represents a new and innovative technique that has many potential applications beyond delivering steroids, including angiogenesis inhibitors and gene therapies. As a clinician-scientist, I am committed to the development of new therapies for retinal diseases and appreciate the opportunity to work with the respected group of experts on Clearside’s scientific advisory board.”