Clearside Biomedical Appoints Dr. Glenn Yiu to its Scientific Advisory Board

ALPHARETTA, Ga., July 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clearside Biomedical, Inc. (Nasdaq: CLSD), a biopharmaceutical company revolutionizing the delivery of therapies to the back of the eye through the suprachoroidal space (SCS^®), announced today the appointment of Glenn C. Yiu, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of California, Davis, to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), which is comprised of industry-leading retinal physicians who provide medical and scientific expertise and input on the Company’s research and development programs.

“We are privileged to welcome Dr. Yiu to our SAB, given his leadership in the research and adoption of new delivery approaches for treating retinal diseases,” stated Victor Chong, M.D., MBA, Chief Medical Officer of Clearside. “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 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.”

Glenn C. Yiu, M.D., Ph.D., commented, “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. 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 SAB.”

Glenn C. Yiu, M.D., Ph.D. is a Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of California, Davis, where he works 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, residency training at the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary and 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 focus on ocular imaging technologies, gene editing and delivery, and animal models of retinal disease. Dr. Yiu reported the first use of CRISPR-based genome editing as a treatment strategy for wet AMD, developed the use of microneedles for suprachoroidal gene delivery, and pioneered important studies on AMD and other retinal disease models in nonhuman primates. He also serves as the Associate Director of Davis-Based Medical Student Research and Director of Tele-ophthalmology at UC Davis, where he has pioneered a teleretinal screening program to expand eye screening among diabetic patients in California.

Dr. Yiu has published numerous peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters and is the editor of the textbook "Vitreoretinal Disorders." He also serves on the editorial board of Scientific Reports and Frontiers in Genome Editing, as a member of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting Program Committee, and as a course lecturer at the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He is an elected member of the Retina Society and Macula Society, a Fellow of the American Society of Retinal Specialists, and a recipient of numerous awards including the Ronald G. Michels Fellowship, the Heed Fellowship, the Retina Society Fellowship Research Award, the Macula Society Evangelos S. Gragoudas Award, UC Davis Public Service Award, AAO Achievement Award, ASRS Senior Honor Award, and ARVO Carl Camras Translational Research Award.

About Clearside Biomedical, Inc.

Clearside Biomedical, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company revolutionizing the delivery of therapies to the back of the eye through the suprachoroidal space (SCS^®). Clearside’s SCS injection platform, utilizing the Company’s patented SCS Microinjector^®, enables an in-office, repeatable, non-surgical procedure for the targeted and compartmentalized delivery of a wide variety of therapies to the macula, retina, or choroid to potentially preserve and improve vision in patients with sight-threatening eye diseases. Clearside is developing its own pipeline of small molecule product candidates for administration via its SCS Microinjector. The Company’s lead program, CLS-AX (axitinib injectable suspension), for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD), is in Phase 2b clinical testing. Clearside developed and gained approval for its first product, XIPERE® (triamcinolone acetonide injectable suspension) for suprachoroidal use, which is available in the U.S. through a commercial partner. Clearside also strategically partners its SCS injection platform with companies utilizing other ophthalmic therapeutic innovations. For more information, please visit clearsidebio.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X.

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 benefits of Dr. Yiu joining Clearside’s SAB as well as Clearside’s suprachoroidal delivery technology and Clearside’s SCS Microinjector®. 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, 2023, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 12, 2024 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.