MacuLogix Appoints Clinical Advisory Board Member
Renowned ophthalmic expert to provide critical guidance to MacuLogix
HUMMELSTOWN, Pa., April 23, 2013 – MacuLogix®, Inc., a pioneer in the early detection and tracking of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), today announced the appointment of Joan W. Miller, MD FARVO as a Clinical Advisor. Dr. Miller will provide MacuLogix with guidance on the development and commercialization of the Company’s AdaptDx®, an advanced dark adaptometer used by eye care physicians to assess retinal health and function, and by researchers to support development of new drugs for AMD.
“The appointment of Dr. Miller as a Clinical Advisor is a key event for our company,” said John G. Edwards, CEO of MacuLogix. “Having a strong team of advisors is critical to our goal of helping doctors preserve vision for millions of people around the world.”
“Retinal disorders such as age-related macular degeneration have been a primary focus of my research,” said Dr. Miller. “MacuLogix’ unique approach to measuring dark adaptation could become important in the early detection and management of AMD.” MacuLogix will leverage Dr. Miller’s extensive expertise and knowledge to understand how the AdaptDx can be applied to meet the needs of clinicians and researchers.
Bio – Joan W. Miller, MD, FARVO
Joan W. Miller is the Henry Willard Williams Professor of Ophthalmology and Chair of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. She also serves as Chief of Ophthalmology at both Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Miller is the first female physician promoted to the rank of Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and the first woman to serve as chair of the Department of Ophthalmology.
Dr. Miller’s clinical and research interests focus on retinal disorders, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy. She and her colleagues at Mass. Eye and Ear developed photodynamic therapy (PDT) using verteporfin (Visudyne), the first pharmacologic therapy for AMD. Dr. Miller and colleagues also identified the importance of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in intraocular vascular disease, which formed the scientific basis of current antiangiogenic ophthalmic therapies. Dr. Miller continues to elucidate the pathophysiology of vision loss and develop improved therapies for retinal disease. Current investigations include the genetics of AMD, strategies for early intervention in AMD, and neuroprotective therapies.
An internationally recognized expert in the field of retina, Dr. Miller has published more than 150 peer-reviewed papers, 50 book chapters and review articles, is co-editor of Albert and Jakobiec’s Principles and Practice of Ophthalmology, and is a named inventor on nine US patents and five international patents. She has received numerous awards, including the Rosenthal Award of the Macula Society, the Retina Research Award from the Club Jules Gonin, the Alcon Research Institute Award, and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)/Pfizer Ophthalmic Translational Research Award. Dr. Miller delivered the 2012 Edward Jackson Memorial Lecture for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. In 2013, she was elected to the Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis and honored by the ARVO Foundation.
About MacuLogix
MacuLogix, Inc. is a pioneer in the early detection and tracking of retinal diseases. The Company’s AdaptDx® is the first practical measurement tool for dark adaptation. Dark adaptation is known to be substantially impaired in degenerative diseases of the macula such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and inherited macular dystrophies. Based on significant technical advances, the AdaptDx provides doctors with an easy-to-use functional test for macular degeneration similar to routine perimetry testing for glaucoma.
