About

Claris is pioneering solutions for patient populations struggling with sight-threatening corneal diseases.

Our Story

Scientific cofounders, Dr. Reza Dana, MD, MSc, MPH and Dr. Sunil Chauhan, DVM, PhD, and Founding CEO Clarke Atwell, MIB, launched Claris Biotherapeutics, licensing intellectual property from Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) and accessing drug substance in an agreement with partner Kringle Pharma.

The foundational intellectual property for Claris was based on the scientific work of Dr. Dana and Dr. Chauhan at the MEEI. From their research on mesenchymal stem cells at MEEI, they identified the potential therapeutic benefits of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in multiple in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo models. Claris Bio has replicated these findings through an independent, third-party laboratory.

Claris’ lead program brings a topical ocular biologic solution of dHGF, a molecule with the potential to restore structural and functional corneal integrity, to eyes with stage 2 and 3 neurotrophic keratitis (NK). Claris raised its Series A funding from Novo Holdings A/S and Mass General Brigham Ventures in April 2020 and RA Capital in July 2021. With these funds, Claris Founding CEO Clarke Atwell, the Claris team, and partner Kringle Pharma facilitated a rapid move of Claris’ lead program from drug substance to a US IND in one year. Currently, Claris is investigating the safety and efficacy of its topical ocular biologic dHGF in a randomized, controlled, double-masked study, CSB-C20-003 (NCT04909450), in patients with stage 2 and 3 NK.

CORNEAL SCAR TREATMENT

Since corneal procedures were developed, vision-compromising corneal scarring has often been addressed via corneal transplant.

In 1818, Franz Reisinger unsuccessfully attempted a procedure on animal that he named ”keratoplasty.” In 1837, Samuel Bigger performed the first successful corneal transplant in a gazelle. A year later, physicians attempted a xenograft in a human, which ultimately failed. Immunology was not yet a well understood field, and sterile surgical techniques were not yet standard. In 1905, however, Eduard Zirm completed the first successful transplant of a human cornea.4 These early developments in corneal procedures lead the way for our current technologies and the development of sophisticated therapies to come, such as penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) and phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK).

Currently, central corneal scarring with severe visual acuity compromise is treated with PKP, a surgical transplant procedure performed by corneal specialists. However, it is not without its challenges—49% of patients who receive corneal transplants experience rejection.5

Superficial corneal scars may be treated with PTK, which ’polishes’ opacities yet may leave a concave area with poor optics where scar tissue was removed. The success of PTK depends on the depth and location of the scar and thus is not an appropriate solution for all.

Peripheral corneal scars are often left untreated, which may not provide optimal patient outcomes. Additionally, while there have been significant advances in the development of artificial corneas, many physicians prefer donor corneas, which can be difficult to obtain outside of higher-income countries.

CLARIS DIFFERENTIATION

Although both established and recent approaches to treat corneal scarring are in use today, the prevalence of scarring and the shortcomings of currently available treatments confirm that a substantial unmet need remains for many patients.

To improve upon current therapies and to address this large unmet need, Claris is developing recombinant human deleted hepatocyte growth factor (dHGF) to accelerate and improve the quality of corneal healing. dHGF, an endogenous protein, has 4 important characteristics:

  • Epitheliotrophic
  • Neurotrophic
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Anti-fibrotic

In vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo data repeatedly demonstrate the ability of dHGF to accelerate corneal re-epithelialization and nerve regeneration, and reduce stromal scarring and inflammation,6,7; In vivo data generated by i) mechanical removal of the central ~80% of corneal epithelium and anterior 1/3 of underlying stroma6 and ii) by bacterial injury (via bacterial lipopolysaccharides) to the cornea,7 demonstrate that, compared with active and inactive controls, topical ocular administration of dHGF accelerated re-epithelialization and reduced corneal scarring. Importantly, not only was dHGF associated with significantly reduced scarring, it also significantly reversed existing stromal scarring.8,9

Corneas wounded in a mechanical injury model that received topical dHGF also had significantly earlier corneal nerve regeneration. Histological analysis of healed corneas following mechanical removal of epithelium and anterior stroma demonstrated reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells in the stroma and reduced or absent stromal edema compared to control.10

These data suggest that dHGF represents a novel approach to accelerate and improve the quality of corneal healing and to reverse existing scarring, with the potential to significantly improve patients’ visual outcomes and quality of life.

OUR Board of Directors

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Clarke Atwell, MIB

Founding CEO and Board Member

Clarke has had the great fortune to work with a diverse and amazing group of people throughout his career. Clarke is a seasoned international biopharmaceutical Chief Executive with experience in company foundation and the licensing of products and technologies. He has a proven ability to build, lead and rapidly integrate diverse organizations as well as extensive experience in the development of products from concept through to Phase III and submission, across multiple disease areas. Clarke has a history of successfully launching novel therapies, managing mature products and maximizing profitability of product portfolios.

Reza dana

Reza Dana, MD, MSc, MPH, FARVO

CO-FOUNDER AND BOARD MEMBER

Dr. Dana is Senior Scientist and the Claes Dohlman Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, Director of the Cornea Service at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Vice Chairman of Harvard Ophthalmology for Academic Programs, Director of the Laboratory of Ocular Immunology, Transplantation and Regeneration, member of the Harvard Medical School graduate program in Immunology, and Director of the Harvard-Vision Clinical Scientist Development Program. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University, he has subspecialty training in both corneal diseases and ocular immunology. He is a clinician-scientist whose contributions to the fields of transplantation, regenerative medicine, angiogenesis, and ocular surface disease have led to 500+ publications, which have been cited more than 46,000 times. He is the recipient of numerous top international honors in the field of vision science and has received Harvard Medical School’s top mentoring award. Apart from over 100 clinical trainees, he has trained more than 150 scientists from 36 countries in his laboratory to date; many are professors, senior scientists, division/department chiefs and leaders in industry. Dr. Dana has been the scientific co-founder of several biotech firms.

Sunil chauhan

Sunil Chauhan, DVM, PhD

CO-FOUNDER AND SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR

Dr. Chauhan is an Associate Professor in the Harvard Medical School Department of Ophthalmology, with a scientist appointment at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and an affiliated faculty at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. Working at the intersection of immunology, stem cell biology, and regenerative medicine, Dr. Chauhan's research for the past 20 years has focused on determining the functions of different immune and non-immune cells in promoting immune quiescence and tissue regeneration. His research helped establish that mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) promote tissue regeneration by secreting high levels of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), suggesting a novel HGF-based approach that could potentially eliminate the need for cell-based and conventional therapies for ocular diseases. Dr. Chauhan's research program is funded by several NEI/NIH and Department of Defense grants and awards. He has published over 120 papers, patents, and applications, which have led to multiple licenses to biotech companies.

Meredith fisher

Meredith Fisher, PhD, MBA

PARTNER, MASS GENERAL BRIGHAM VENTURES

Dr. Fisher is a partner with the Mass General Brigham Ventures, focusing on early-stage investments and company creation. Previously, she was in the private/family office at Bracebridge Capital serving as Director of Private Investments, where she led investments in early-stage life science companies. Prior to that role, she led business development for Ginkgo BioWorks and was Senior Director at PureTech Ventures. She spent several years working as a scientist in anti-viral drug discovery for Idenix Pharmaceuticals and Anadys Pharmaceuticals.

Dr. Fisher received her undergraduate degree from Mount Holyoke College, her MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, and her PhD from Harvard University. While at Harvard, she co-founded Harvard Graduate Women in Science and Engineering (HGWISE). Dr. Fisher represents Mass General Brigham Ventures on the boards of Mediar, Nocion, Claris Bio, and ZielBio as well as serving as an observer for Scorpion and Amolyt.

Marc de Garidel

Marc de Garidel, MIM, AMP

CEO, ABIVAX

Mr. de Garidel is a highly experienced biopharmaceutical senior executive who has served as CEO for several biopharmaceutical companies at different stages of development for the last 13 years, including two significant billion dollar exits with CinCor Pharma and Corvidia Therapeutics in the last 3 years. He is currently Chairman of Ipsen Group, a public European pharmaceutical company developing and marketing products in several therapeutic areas. Before becoming a full-time Chairman of Ipsen, he was Chairman and CEO of Ipsen from 2010 to 2016. Earlier in his career, Mr. de Garidel played a key role in the development of Amgen in Europe as regional Vice President. Mr. de Garidel serves on the board of a few biotech companies, including Ipsen, CinCor Pharma (until its sale to AstraZeneca), and Claris Bio.

Mr. de Garidel earned a Master’s in International Management at Thunderbird School of Global Management and attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Ken harrison

Kenneth Harrison, PhD

SENIOR PARTNER AT NOVO VENTURES

Dr. Harrison serves as a member of the Claris board of directors and is a partner with Novo Ventures (US) Inc. in San Francisco, California. Dr. Harrison currently also serves on the boards of Aristea Therapeutics, Edgewise Therapeutics (NASDAQ:EWTX), Glycomine, Hummingbird Bioscience, Nuvig Therapeutics, and Rondo Thrapeutics. He was previously on the board or was involved with investments in Bolt Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:BOLT), Reneo Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:RPHM), Mirum Pharma (NASDAQ: MIRM), Allievex, and Vertuis Bio (acquired). Prior to joining Novo Ventures, Dr. Harrison worked in commercial planning and strategy at Genentech, where he was a member of the HER2 franchise and Ophthalmology franchise teams. Dr. Harrison was a life sciences management consultant at L.E.K. Consulting and a seed-stage investor at Mission Bay Capital, where he helped create programs to launch and build life sciences companies in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Dr. Harrison and earned a PhD in Pharmacology from Yale University and studied cellular lipid storage and metabolism as an A.P. Giannini Foundation Fellow at the J. David Gladstone Institutes.

Kate Moreau 1

Kate Moreau

Associate Director, RA Capital Management

Kate Moreau is an Associate Director within the TechAtlas division of RA Capital Management. Kate’s primary responsibilities are to drive internal and external strategic and diligence initiatives and oversee the workflow and professional development of TechAtlas Associates. Prior to this role, Kate worked with the Venture team evaluating early stage investment opportunities and mapped a number of competitive landscapes, including ophthalmology, lower GI, and non-viral liver disease. 

Kate holds a BA in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Rutgers University, and a PhD in Biochemistry from MIT. Her doctoral research investigated the folding and aggregation of gamma-crystallins associated with cataract formation.

Agustin Headshot

Agustin Mohedas, Ph.D.

Portfolio Manager | Research Analyst

Agustin Mohedas is a Portfolio Manager and Research Analyst on the Health Care Team at Janus Henderson Investors. He is focused primarily on the biotechnology sector. Before joining the firm as a research analyst in 2019, Agustin was a senior analyst at Eventide Asset Management, working on the Healthcare and Life Sciences Fund from 2017. Prior to this, he was an analyst with RA Capital Management, a long/short hedge fund focused on biotechnology, from 2014.
Agustin received his bachelor of science degree in biomedical engineering from Texas A&M University, graduating summa cum laude. He also earned a PhD in medical engineering and medical physics from the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology. His PhD research focused on drug development for a rare genetic disease, resulting in multiple patents and publications. He has 10 years of financial industry experience.

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