This year’s speaker is Justin Hanes, Ph.D., the Lewis J. Ort Professor of Ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins, with secondary appointments in biomedical engineering, chemical and biomolecular engineering, environmental health sciences, neurosurgery, and oncology. He is a leader of research at the interface of nanotechnology and medicine, and is director of the Center for Nanomedicine. Dr. Hanes is internationally recognized for designing and synthesizing new biodegradable plastics to create nanoscopic, drug/gene-filled particles, capable of targeted delivery to specific sites in the body. His lab recently discovered methods to make drug and gene-loaded particles that efficiently penetrate mucus barriers, which may allow for more effective therapies for eye diseases.
Dr. Hanes is the founder of Kala Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: KALA), GrayBug Vision (NASDAQ: GRAY), Ashvattha Therapeutics, Orpheris, Theraly Fibrosis, Neuraly, Spiral Therapeutics, Advanced Inhalation Research (acquired by Alkermes), and Civitas Therapeutics (acquired by Acorda). He also serves as a venture partner at Catalio Capital Management LP, an investment firm focused on breakthrough biomedical technology companies.
The event is sponsored by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures.