New Insight: Making Waves in the Biotech Space with Jay Duker, MD

Advances in biotechnology may help pave the way forward to meet unmet needs in ophthalmology, as the treatment landscape continues to change year over year.

In this episode of New Insight with Veeral Sheth, MD, Dr. Sheth hosts a discussion with Jay Duker, MD, president and chief operating officer of Eyepoint Pharmaceuticals on his career in ophthalmology, the importance of fostering a relationship between clinicians and industry, and the new efforts in biotechnology that his team is currently working on at Eyepoint.

Eyepoint is currently developing the investigational sustained delivery treatment, EYP-1901, combining a bioerodible formulation of the company’s proprietary Durasert® delivery technology with vorolanib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) for wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD).

Safety and efficacy data from the phase 1 DAVIO trial showed no reports of ocular or drug-related systemic serious adverse events and no dose limiting toxicities with stable visual acuity. Data showed 53% and 35% of eyes did not require any supplemental anti-VEGF injections up to six and twelve months, respectively, after a single dose of EYP-1901. In the interview, Duker discussed the positive data in support of EYP-1901 from the DAVIO trial and what is coming next with the phase 2 DAVIO 2 trial for wet AMD.

Duker described his journey to Eyepoint, wrapping up his 21 years as chair of ophthalmology at Tufts University School of Medicine, and how it prepared him for the next chapter of his career. With his own interest in the relationship between clinicians and industry, Duker provided insight in how successful companies leverage those relationships to gain insights and better care for all patients.

An interesting part of the conversation centered around Duker’s role in the development of optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology, having the only OCT machine on the planet at one point in time at Tufts. The experts discussed how far the technology has come and where it may go in the future, suggesting OCT machines may be available in all patient’s homes sooner rather than later. They wrapped-up their conversation discussing the future of new technologies and retina care, and eventually, the potentially larger role of artificial intelligence in medicine.

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