Arun Upadhyay
Chief Scientific Officer, Head of R&D Ocugen
Dr. Arun Upadhyay, Chief Scientific Officer at Ocugen, leads the company’s R&D strategy, overseeing innovation across biologics, vaccines, cell and gene therapies, and regenerative medicine. With over 20 years of experience in biotech, academia, and government, he has directed end-to-end development from discovery through clinical stages and regulatory submissions. His work spans mAbs, bispecifics, and ophthalmic therapeutics, with expertise in drug delivery, molecular biology, and nanotechnology. Formerly at the University of Colorado Denver, he pioneered targeted delivery systems for ocular diseases. Dr. Upadhyay holds a PhD in Biotechnology and has authored 40+ publications and over 15 patents.
Seminars
Subretinal injections represent one of the most targeted yet invasive approaches in ocular therapy. While they are gaining ground in gene therapy development, clinical concerns remain around surgical risk, formulation demands, and long-term safety.Â
This session brings a lens to the realities of delivering into the subretinal space.
- Explore the true clinical burden of subretinal delivery: a full vitrectomy, specialized surgical training, and the risk of permanent retinal detachment
- Understand why subretinal delivery has been mostly confined to gene therapy and what would need to change for devices or new modalities to enter this space
- Discuss key formulation challenges, including mechanical constraints for cells or biomaterials, and the difficulty of ensuring therapeutic distribution across the retina
- Thoughts on immunosuppressants: helpful but limited, with short-term use standard and long-term risks not yet well managed
- Use of natural hydrogels that shear thin during injection and then gel in situ, breaking down into natural amino acids to avoid immune reactions and ensure safety in retinal cells and animal models
- Comparison of implantable depots that are refillable or biodegradable, focusing on the importance of optically transparent, minimally invasive systems that do not impact visual fields or intraocular pressure
- Review of clinical concerns such as depot migration, inflammation, and the impact on retinal neurons, highlighting how new materials can reduce risks compared to traditional PLGA or synthetic hydrogels
- Discussion of innovative port delivery systems that slowly release proteins over extended periods while using familiar injection techniques, potentially reducing injection frequency and improving patient adherence
