Dr. Alex Huang

Dr. Alex Huang completed his MD/PhD in Neurosciences at The Johns Hopkins University

School of Medicine with Lasker Award-winning Dr. Solomon Snyder in the Department of

Neuroscience.  He then completed his residency at USC/Doheny Eye Institute (DEI) and his

glaucoma fellowship with Dr. Robert Weinreb at Shiley Eye Institute/UCSD.  Dr. Huang became

an inaugural faculty member of the DEI/UCLA affiliation.  Dr. Huang is now part of the Viterbi

Family Department of Ophthalmology and Shiley Eye Institute/UCSD.  Dr. Huang is a clinician-

scientist who is supported by a National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 and by the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).  His federally supported research program

focuses on improving ocular imaging as a way to better diagnose and treat eye diseases on Earth and in space The Ophthalmologist named Dr. Huang the #1 Rising Star in 2017 and recognized him on The Ophthalmologist Power 100 List in 2020.  In 2021, Dr. Huang received the ARVO Foundation Pfizer Ophthalmics Carl Camras Translational Research Award.

 

Dr. Stella Sarraf

Dr. Sarraf founded Amydis in 2013 after seeing a clinical need for a novel technology to enable the early detection of neurodegenerative diseases. She brings a blend of large pharmaceutical operational expertise, venture investment background, and entrepreneurship to Amydis. Dr.Sarraf is viewed as a visionary with a deep understanding of “cradle to grave” and the necessary components to achieve success from product concept through to commercialization. Previously, she spent 10 years in Venture Capital at Foresite Capital Management and Prospect Venture Partners, both growth capital healthcare funds with over $1B dollars in assets under management. Some successful investments and exits by Foresite with Dr. Sarraf’s involvement

included Wavetec Vision (sold to Alcon in 2014), Ambit Biosciences (acquired by Daiichi

Sankyo in 2014 for $410M) and Auspex Pharmaceuticals (sold to Teva for $3.5B in 2015). At Prospect, she performed scientific, regulatory, and commercial diligence on more than 400 investment opportunities from companies in therapeutic and diagnostic areas including the neurological and cognitive disorder space. Earlier in her career, Dr. Sarraf worked at Merck Research Laboratories in Rahway, New Jersey as a senior research chemist responsible for creating the chemical synthesis of a novel drug for translation from the bench to the production scale.

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Ali Tafreshi

Ali Tafreshi has over 18 years of experience in the field of eye care, with an expansive range of expertise. He is a strategy, innovation, and clinical development executive who has played multiple roles in the eye care industry. Ali spent 10 years at the Hamilton Glaucoma Research Center in San Diego as a Research Associate, Clinical Trials Manager, and Clinical Research Coordinator. During his tenure there, he published several peer-reviewed manuscripts with Dr. Robert N. Weinreb. He transitioned to the industry by joining Heidelberg Engineering, an ophthalmic medical device, and software solutions company. During his 8 years at Heidelberg Engineering, he served several roles including Global Head/VP of Product Management and Clinical Affairs. During this time, his realm of responsibilities included the development of a strategic product roadmap, clinical development of technology in the prototype stage, product design, publication of peer-reviewed manuscripts in collaboration with clinician-scientists, clinical trial management, regulatory submissions, strategic creation of clinical marketing material, and sales. His area of clinical expertise includes glaucoma, neuro-ophthalmic diseases, and retinal conditions.