GTI Speaker Series - Cagri Besirli, MD, PhD

Dr. Cagri G. Besirli is an Associate Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Michigan and a Senior Director and Clinical Lead for Retinal Diseases at Janssen Research and Development. He is a clinician-scientist and has dedicated his career to improve vision in children and adults with retinal disorders. As a clinician, he specializes in diseases and surgery of the retina and vitreous as well as management of acquired and inherited pediatric retinal disorders. As a basic research scientist, he has been studying the molecular mechanisms of apoptosis and survival during periods of neuronal and retinal stress for over 19 years. He was the site principal investigator for several ocular gene therapy trials for the treatment of inherited retinal diseases, including Leber Congenital Amaurosis 2 (LCA2), achromatopsia, and X-linked retinitis pigmentosa. In addition to clinical trials, Dr. Besirli led the VoretigeneNeoparvovec-rzyl gene therapy program for patients with LCA2 at the Kellogg Eye Center. He is currently one of the lead physicians in late-stage clinical development for retinal gene therapy at Janssen.