Dr. Patricia A. D’Amore serves as a member of the Scientific and Medical Advisory Board at Ceramedix, Inc. A renowned expert in vascular growth and development, she advises on the company’s scientific development initiatives and strategic decision-making processes.
Dr. D’Amore holds a PhD in biology from Boston University and an MBA from Northeastern University. She has spent over three decades at the forefront of angiogenesis research, elucidating its role in retinal diseases to guide the development of new interventions. She is the Charles L. Schepens Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, where she is Vice Chair of Basic and Translational Research and co-director of the AMD Center of Excellence. Additionally, she is the Director of the Howe Laboratory and the Associate Chief of Basic and translational research at Massachusetts Eye and Ear. She recently served as president of The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) as well as of the American Society of Investigative Pathology. She conducted her postdoctoral fellowship at the Wilmer Eye Institute and was an Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Research in her laboratory centers on mechanisms of vascular growth and development. Earlier in her career, she contributed to the identification of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as the “factor X” that drives pathological blood vessel growth in blinding neovascular eye diseases. This discovery contributed to the development of anti-VEGF therapies, revolutionizing treatments for diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. She conducted early studies that uncovered key physiological roles of vascular growth factors that provide new insight into the safe use of antiangiogenic therapies.
Dr. D’Amore’s scientific contributions have been celebrated with numerous awards and honors, including the Alcon Research Institute Award, the Cogan Award from ARVO, the Rous-Whipple Award from the American Society of Investigative Pathology, and the Proctor Medal from ARVO. In recognition of her pivotal role in advancing anti-angiogenic therapy, she was a co-recipient of the 2014 António Champalimaud Vision Award, the highest distinction in ophthalmology and visual science. Recently, she was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Medical Sciences. She has published over 225 papers and reviews and is editor or co-editor of four books.