Kiora Pharmaceuticals adds retinal disease expert to advisory board

Kiora Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: KPRX) appointed Dr. Taiji Sakamoto to its Scientific Advisory Board, the company announced. Dr. Sakamoto serves as Chair of Ophthalmology at Kagoshima University and will provide clinical and scientific guidance as Kiora develops retinal disease therapeutics.

Dr. Sakamoto's research focuses on diabetic retinopathy, retinal surgery and ocular angiogenesis. He has published more than 460 peer-reviewed papers and developed triamcinolone-assisted vitrectomy and the Japan-Retinal Detachment Registry. He also created an AI-based OCT algorithm that has been integrated into commercial machines.

"As we deepen our understanding of inflammatory pathways in retinal disease, it is increasingly important to pursue therapeutic options that do not rely on chronic steroid use," Dr. Sakamoto stated. "Non-steroidal approaches such as KIO-104 represent an important direction for the field, aiming to manage inflammation while avoiding many of the limitations associated with steroids."

Dr. Sakamoto previously served as Vice President of Kagoshima University and President of the Japan Retina Vitreous Society from 2020 to 2025. He is a board member of the International Council of Ophthalmology and has received awards including the Pfizer Ophthalmic Awards and ARVO Gold Fellow recognition.

Kiora is developing KIO-104, a non-steroidal inhibitor of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase for retinal inflammation treatment, and KIO-301, a molecular photoswitch for inherited retinal diseases including retinitis pigmentosa and Stargardt disease.

The information is based on a company press release statement.

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