BOSTON—Diorasis Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing durable gene therapies for glaucoma and other ophthalmic diseases, has announced the appointment of Dimitri Azar, M.D., M.B.A., A.M. (hon.), D.H.L. (hon.), to its Board of Directors.
Dr. Azar brings extensive experience in ophthalmology, biotechnology, and translational medicine. He currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and as President and CEO of Lacristat.AI. His prior board and advisory roles include service with Novartis, the Scientific Advisory Board of Verily (Alphabet’s life sciences research arm), and the Board of Verb Surgical, a joint venture between Verily and Johnson & Johnson.
Before joining Diorasis, Dr. Azar was Senior Director at Verily and Founding CEO of Twenty Twenty Therapeutics, a joint venture between Santen and Verily. There, he oversaw the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic technologies in glaucoma, dry eye, presbyopia, and ophthalmic drug delivery. He has also served as Field Chair of Ophthalmic Research and Executive Dean Emeritus at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, as a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute, and as a tenured professor at Harvard Medical School. He earned his M.D. from the American University of Beirut and completed clinical and research training at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and the Schepens Eye Research Institute.
“We are honored to welcome Dr. Azar to our Board of Directors,” said Remis Bistras, Chief Executive Officer of Diorasis Therapeutics. “His deep expertise, global leadership in ophthalmology, and proven track record in innovation will be instrumental as Diorasis advances its first-in-class gene therapy for glaucoma into clinical development.”
Following a successful pre-IND meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the initiation of GMP manufacturing, Diorasis’s lead program in glaucoma is on track to enter clinical development after the completion of toxicology studies and regulatory submissions.
“Glaucoma remains one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide,” said Dr. Dimitri Azar. “What excites me about Diorasis is its vision to move beyond chronic, burdensome treatments and offer patients a long-term solution that could dramatically improve quality of life and prevent blindness. For investors, this represents a unique opportunity to be part of a company redefining how we treat one of the most common and devastating ophthalmic diseases.”
