Michael J. Tolentino MD

Dr. Tolentino earned numerous awards and received several prestigious grants while at UPenn including the Heed/Knapp, AOS, Ron Michels, AUPO fellowships as well as RPB and K08 NEI research grants. His research focused on gene, cellular and stem cell therapies. With these inventions Dr. Tolentino co-founded and served as the initial CEO for Acuity Pharmaceuticals where he raised 3 million dollars from friends and family and helped raise 21 million in venture funding (Psilos, Mitsubishi and J&J Development). He guided the company from invention, start up, clinical trials to exit. After the successful phase II trial of Bevasiranib for macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, Acuity pharmaceuticals merged with a publically traded company Exegenic, owned completely by the Frost Gamma private equity group, to form OPKO health (NYSE: OPK) a publically traded biopharmaceutical company. This deal was valued at over 200 million. OPKO’s current market cap is over 3 Billion.

Dr. Tolentino is currently the director and founder of the clinical research program at the Center for Retina and Macular Disease. The center is now one of the largest retinal clinical trial centers in the world with over 100 retinal clinical trials in the last 7 years. He has been the top enrolling principal investigator for Phase I to III FDA registration and Phase IV trials for drugs such as Eylea, Lucentis, Verteporfrin, Macugen, Iluvien, Jetrea AREDS II, Psvidia, and SphingoMAB and has been involved in the approval process for several of these drugs.