SEATTLE & CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 23, 2025--
Aurion Biotech, a clinical-stage regenerative medicine company whose mission is to restore vision to millions of patients, today announced the appointments of Edward J. Holland, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer, and Eris P. Jordan, O.D., as Chief Development Officer.
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Aurion Biotech is developing AURN001, an investigational, single-administration, allogeneic cell therapy for the treatment of corneal edema secondary to corneal endothelial disease, a condition that causes progressive vision loss in millions of people worldwide.
Dr. Holland has been a key supporter of Aurion since its inception, serving as Chair of the Medical Advisory Board and leading the first team of U.S. corneal surgeons to deliver the cell therapy developed by Aurion Biotech, based on foundational technology from Professor Shigeru Kinoshita at Kyoto Prefecture University of Medicine. His insights and clinical leadership have helped shape the trajectory of Aurion’s development program.
Dr. Jordan, a co-founder of Aurion, has been instrumental at every stage of the company’s clinical journey. She led the foundational clinical trials in El Salvador, including the IOTA and ESCALON studies, and has since overseen the expansion of Aurion’s clinical development program into North America. Her contributions have brought Aurion’s mission to life — grounded in tireless advocacy for patients and deep collaboration with the global corneal surgeon community.
“I’ve had the privilege of knowing Dr. Holland for over a decade,” said Arnaud Lacoste, Ph.D., M.B.A., Chief Executive Officer of Aurion. “His dedication to patients and his leadership in corneal care have been instrumental to the success of our program. His appointment as Chief Medical Officer further strengthens our clinical and scientific foundation as we move toward late-stage development and, ultimately, broader patient access.”
“Over the past four years, Dr. Jordan has poured her heart into this program,” Lacoste continued. “Her leadership of our global clinical trials has been extraordinary, and her commitment to patients and surgeons alike reflects who we are as a company. I’m honored to continue working with Eris as Chief Development Officer.”
Dr. Holland added, “Joining Aurion in this capacity is both exciting and deeply meaningful. I’ve seen firsthand the transformative potential of AURN001, and I look forward to helping the team bring this therapy to patients who urgently need new options.”
Dr. Jordan commented, “This program has always been about patients — those we’ve met and those still waiting. I’m grateful to lead the development of AURN001, and to work alongside a team so deeply committed to scientific excellence and to the people we serve.”
About Edward J. Holland, M.D.
Dr. Holland is a globally recognized leader in cornea and external disease. His numerous honors include the Senior Achievement and Life Achievement Honor Awards from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Binkhorst and Lindstrom Medals from the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, and the Castroviejo Award from the Cornea Society. He has been named among the “Best Doctors in America” and has published extensively in both basic and clinical research, with over 300 peer-reviewed articles. Dr. Holland was the co-principal investigator of the Cornea Donor Study, the largest clinical trial ever conducted in the field of cornea, and he has co-edited five editions of Cornea, the most widely read textbook on corneal disease and surgery.
About Eris P. Jordan, O.D.
Dr. Jordan brings over two decades of experience across clinical practice and the ophthalmic industry, and she continues to serve as a practicing clinician specializing in cornea and anterior segment. Prior to co-founding Aurion Biotech and serving as Vice President of Clinical and Medical Affairs, she held leadership roles including Senior Director of Medical Affairs at CorneaGen, Clinical Team Lead and Surgeon Educator at AcuFocus, Inc., and Executive Clinical Outcomes Specialist in Bausch & Lomb’s surgical division. Before transitioning to industry, Dr. Jordan spent a decade in direct patient care and served as Clinic Director for a cornea and anterior segment surgical practice. She completed her post-graduate training at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute—the top-ranked U.S. eye care institute—and earned both her Doctor of Optometry and Bachelor of Optical Sciences degrees in a fast-tracked program from Salus University, graduating with highest clinical honors.
About Aurion Biotech
Aurion Biotech’s mission is to restore vision to millions of patients with life-changing regenerative therapies. The company is developing AURN001, an investigational cell therapy for corneal endothelial disease. AURN001 is the first cell therapy for the corneal endothelium to be commercially launched (in Japan) and is advancing through clinical development in North America. Aurion received the prestigious Prix Galien award for Best Start-Up in Biotech in 2022. In 2025, Alcon acquired majority ownership of Aurion Biotech. For more information, visit www.aurionbiotech.com.
Edward Holland, Chief Medical Officer, Aurion Biotech
Eris Jordan, OD Chief Development Officer Aurion Biotech
VINEYARD HAVEN, Mass. (AP) — Lewis Pugh has followed an unspoken rule during his career as one of the world’s most daring endurance swimmers: Don’t talk about sharks. But he plans to break that this week on a swim around Martha’s Vineyard, where “ Jaws” was filmed 50 years ago.
The British-South African was the first person to complete a long-distance swim in every ocean of the world — and has taken on extreme conditions everywhere from Mount Everest to the Arctic.
“On this swim, it’s very different: We’re just talking about sharks all the time,” joked Pugh, who will, as usual, wear no wetsuit for the 62-mile (100-kilometer) swim.
For his swim around Martha’s Vineyard in 47-degree (8-degree Celsius) water he will wear just trunks, a cap and goggles.
Pugh, 55, is undertaking the challenge because he wants to change public perception around the now at-risk animals — which he said were maligned by the blockbuster film as “villains, as cold-blooded killers.” He will urge for more protection for sharks.
“We need to protect life in our oceans — all our futures rely on it,” he said on Thursday before starting out from a beach in front of the Edgartown Harbor Lighthouse and swimming an initial 3.9 miles (6.2 kilometers) for nearly three hours. On Friday, he'll get in the water and swim again — and again, for an estimated 12 days, or however long it takes him to complete the swim. He'll spend the rest of his time on the Vineyard educating the public about sharks.
Later Thursday, he crawled out of the water, where curious seals bobbed in the waves, and onto a boat to warm up and refuel.
He began his endeavor just after the New England Aquarium confirmed the first white shark sighting of the season, earlier this week off the coast of Nantucket.
“It’s going to test me not only physically, but also mentally,” he said, while scoping out wind conditions by the starting line earlier this week. “I mean every single day I’m going to be speaking about sharks, sharks, sharks, sharks. Then, ultimately, I’ve got to get in the water afterwards and do the swim. I suppose you can imagine what I’ll be thinking about.”
Pugh said the swim will be among the most difficult he’s undertaken, which says a lot for someone who has swum near glaciers and volcanoes, and among hippos, crocodiles and polar bears. No one has ever swum around the island of Martha's Vineyard before.
But Pugh, who often swims to raise awareness for environmental causes — and has been named the United Nations Patron of the Oceans for several years — said no swim is without risk and that drastic measures are needed to get his message across: Around 274,000 sharks are killed globally each day — a rate of 100 million every year, according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
“It was a film about sharks attacking humans and for 50 years, we have been attacking sharks,” he said of “Jaws.” “It’s completely unsustainable. It’s madness. We need to respect them.”
He emphasizes that the swim is not something nonprofessionals should attempt. He’s accompanied by safety personnel in a boat and kayak and uses a “Shark Shield” device that deters sharks using an electric field without harming them.
Pugh remembers feeling fear as a 16-year-old watching “Jaws” for the first time. Over decades of study and research, awe and respect have replaced his fear, as he realized the role they play in maintaining Earth’s increasingly fragile ecosystems.
“I’m more terrified of a world without sharks, or without predators,” he said.
“Jaws” is credited for creating Hollywood’s blockbuster culture when it was released in summer 1975, becoming the highest grossing film up until that time and earning three Academy Awards. It would impact how many viewed the ocean for decades to come.
Both director Steven Spielberg and author Peter Benchley have expressed regret over the impact of the film on viewers’ perception of sharks. Both have since contributed to conservation efforts for animals, which have seen populations depleted due to factors like overfishing and climate change.
Discovery Channel and the National Geographic Channel each year release programming about sharks to educate the public about the predator.
Greg Skomal, marine fisheries biologist at Martha’s Vineyard Fisheries within the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, said many people tell him they still won't swim in the ocean because of the sheer terror caused by the film.
“I tend to hear the expression that, ‘I haven’t gone in the water since ‘Jaws’ came out,’” he said.
But Skomal, who published a book challenging the film's inaccuracies, said “Jaws” also inspired many people — including him — to study marine biology, leading to increased research, acceptance and respect for the creatures.
If “Jaws” were made today, he doesn't think it'd have the same effect. But in the 1970s, “it was just perfect in terms of generating this level of fear to a public that was largely uneducated about sharks, because we were uneducated. Scientists didn’t know a lot about sharks.”
Skomal said the biggest threat contributing to the decline of the shark population now is commercial fishing, which exploded in the late 1970s and is today driven by high demand for fins and meat used in food dishes, as well as the use of skin to make leather and oil and cartilage for cosmetics.
“I think we’ve really moved away from this feeling, or the old adage that, ‘The only good shark is a dead shark,’” he said. “We’re definitely morphing from fear to fascination, or perhaps a combination of both.”
See an AP photo gallery from around Martha's Vineyard and the start of Pugh's swim here.
An app is used to monitor endurance swimmer Louis Pugh's temperature while he swims in 47 degree F water, Thursday, May 15, 2025, off Edgartown, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Endurance swimmer Louis Pugh swims off the coast pf Edgartown, Mass., Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Endurance swimmer Louis Pugh warms up on the ride back to shore after completing the first leg of his swim around Martha's Vineyard, Thursday, May 15, 2025, off Edgartown, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Endurance swimmer Louis Pugh swims near the Edgartown Harbor Light, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Edgartown, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
A woman views the sunset at Menemsha Beach, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Chilmark, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
A man navigates the wake behind the Martha's Vineyard Ferry, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Vineyard Haven, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
A visitor arrives at a shop selling Jaws-related souvenirs, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Edgartown, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
A shopper walks past items featuring the Jaws movie at Neptune's Sea Chest gift shop, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Vineyard Haven, Mass., on Martha's Vineyard Island. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh gestures to where he will begin his swim around Martha's Vineyard island, which is expected to take 12 days, near the Edgartown Lighthouse, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Edgartown, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
A family walks to the span of the American Legion Memorial Bridge, also known as the "Jaws Bridge", while spending the day fishing, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Edgartown, Mass., on Martha's Vineyard Island. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
