VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Optigo Biotherapeutics (“Optigo”), an ophthalmology company pioneering next-gen treatments for retinal diseases, today announced that Dr. Andreas Wallnöfer is joining its Board of Directors as the company advances its lead program to IND-enabling studies.

“Andreas is exactly the strategic leader and industry veteran we were looking for,” said Dr. Henning Afflerbach, Chair of the Board of Optigo. “His singular blend of operational experience — from bench to boardroom — and his track record of guiding programs through to successful exits will be invaluable as we move into clinical development.”

“Optigo’s Hyaluronic Acid (HA)-anchoring platform is one of the most promising innovations in retinal drug design that I’ve seen,” said Dr. Andreas Wallnöfer. “Its unprecedented half-life extension has the potential to redefine treatment durability and transform the standard of care in the treatment of retinal diseases. I’m joining the Board at a decisive moment, and I’m eager to help turn this exceptional science into real benefits for patients.”

Dr. Wallnöfer brings more than 25 years of leadership in pharmaceutical R&D and biotech investment. Most recently, he was a Partner at Jeito Capital, where he was one of the initial lead investors in EyeBio, which was subsequently acquired by Merck in 2024 for a total deal value of US $3 billion. Before joining Jeito, he was a General Partner at BioMedPartners, where he was involved in the M&A acquisition of several companies.

Prior to turning his talents to biotech investing, Dr. Wallnöfer served on the R&D Executive Leadership Team at F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, where he was Global Head of Clinical Research & Exploratory Development and Head of Cardiovascular & Metabolism R&D. He played a key role in the Roche/Genentech integration and in the development of Vabysmo^®, one of the most successful ophthalmology launches in recent years. He has a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Basel, a clinical fellowship at the University of Leiden and an Executive MBA from IMD Lausanne.

Ali Ardakani, CEO of Optigo said: “Andreas joining our Board signals the next phase of growth for Optigo — we are accelerating our development timeline to advance our lead program toward IND-enabling toxicology in preparation for first-in-human trials. Adding Andreas to the team underscores our commitment to strong governance and disciplined execution.”

About Optigo Biotherapeutics
Optigo Biotherapeutics is an ophthalmology company advancing an innovative platform and portfolio of biologics to restore, preserve and enhance vision in patients with retinal diseases of high unmet need. Its lead asset, a long-acting anti-VEGF is moving toward pre-IND and GLP toxicology studies for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Leveraging its proprietary long-acting HA-binding anchoring platform, Optigo has engineered a pipeline of assets designed to address unmet needs across multiple retinal indications.

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