Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer
David Gamm, MD PhD, is co-founder & CSO of Opsis Therapeutics. Dr. Gamm is a practicing pediatric ophthalmologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he holds positions as RRF Emmett A. Humble Distinguished Director of the McPherson Eye Research Institute; Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences; Sandra Lemke Trout Chair in Eye Research; Principal Investigator in both the Waisman Center Stem Cell Research Program and the UW Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center. Dr. Gamm is a leader in the field of retinal cell differentiation from human pluripotent stem cells, including three-dimensional optic vesicle-based differentiation into photoreceptors and other retinal cells, first described in the Gamm laboratory.
Co-Founder & Sr. Director, Research & Development
Lucas Chase, PhD, is Sr. Director of R&D at Opsis Therapeutics. Previously he served as Director, Ocular Cell Therapy, at FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics Inc. where since 2014 he led the development of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based RPE and photoreceptor programs; Group Leader in Cell Biology R&D at Cellular Dynamics International, where he led efforts to develop a series of iPSC-derived neural cell models; and a scientist at Life Technologies where he developed cGMP products for stem cell culture and model systems for drug discovery. Dr. Chase obtained his Ph.D. in 2006 from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities in the Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and Genetics Program.
Co-Founder & Director, Preclinical Studies
Joe Phillips, PhD, is Director of Preclinical Studies at Opsis Therapeutics. Previously, over a 20-year career in vision research, he conducted preclinical studies across a broad range of technologies including subretinal prosthetics at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Atlanta, GA; visual psycophysics at the University of Georgia; neuroprotective strategies at Emory University; endogenous repair mechanisms at University of Houston; and retinal stem cell and regenerative medicine in the Gamm Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Phillips holds a PhD in Vision Science from University of Houston.
Co-Founder
Carter Cliff is co-Founder of Opsis Therapeutics, CEO of Papillon therapeutics, and President of StemCardia. He has raised over $250 Million as co-founder and executive of biotechnology companies developing disease-modifying genetic medicines, including Opsis Therapeutics and Kenai Therapeutics. Opsis entered a Strategic R&D Alliance with BlueRock Therapeutics (a Bayer AG company), who provided a $70 Million up-front commitment for option to three programs. Kenai raised an $83 Million Series A financing co-led by Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation, Cure Ventures and The Column Group, with participation from Euclidean Capital and Saisei Ventures.