Company Funding

David N. Zacks, M.D., Ph.D., found a perfect fit at the Kellogg Eye Center in 2002 and hit the ground running after earning a combined M.D. and Ph.D. from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and finishing his ophthalmology training at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston.

Dr. Zacks’ clinical activity focuses on diseases and surgery of the retina. His main area of research centers on why retinal cells die during diseases such as retinal detachment, macular degeneration, and glaucoma, and on developing therapeutics aimed at preserving retinal cells and improving visual outcomes for patients with these types of diseases.

Dr. Zacks’ commitment to the study of retinal disease led to his role as one of three co-founders of ONL Therapeutics in 2011. The name ONL is an acronym for the ONL—Outer Nuclear Layer—a part of the retina where his research has yielded promising new therapies. He says the Michigan Medicine Office of Tech Transfer was instrumental in helping him set up the company and to enabling him to continue to work to bring his discoveries to market.

“It was through ONL Therapeutics that we received funding for our patent—a medication therapy to treat retinal disease,” he says, noting that the drug, of which Michigan Medicine is co-inventor, is currently being tested in a phase one clinical trial involving patients with retinal detachment. “Our goal is to keep retinal cells alive and preserve vision.”

Among those Dr. Zacks credits for the company’s groundbreaking accomplishments is Kellogg associate professor of ophthalmology Cagri Besirli, M.D., Ph.D., who also specializes in neuroprotection research. He also credits Michigan Medicine Office of Tech Transfer and Kellogg, saying, “Both are at the forefront of developing new therapies—I’m grateful to be here.”