Biography
Dr. Arup Das is currently Distinguished and Regents’ Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA. After finishing his medical (MD) and post -graduate ophthalmology (MS) training from the University of Calcutta, India, he did his PhD in Physiology at Medical College of Ohio, Toledo, then a postdoctoral research fellowship at Kresge Eye Institute under Dr. Robert Frank, Wayne State University in Detroit, where he also did his residency in Ophthalmology, and finally a vitreo-retinal fellowship at the Doheny Eye Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles under Prof. Stephen Ryan. Dr. Das served as the Chief of Ophthalmology at UNM for 15 years (2004-2019). Currently, he maintains an active research lab funded by National Institutes of Health and Veterans Administration RD. His research interests include angiogenesis, retinal vascular biology, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. Currently, he is conducting a NIH RO1 funded large collaborative study (DRGen Study) with Joslin Diabetes center, Harvard University and Translational & Genomics Research (TGen) Institute in Phoenix on genomics of phenotypes of diabetic retinopathy.
His research efforts have bridged both basic sciences and clinical sciences with translational impacts on the management of retinal diseases and development of novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers including MMPs, Urokinase, CCL2, Angiopoietin-2, Cathepsin-D, and CXCL1. It is his lab’s earlier work on Angiopoietin-2 that led to the development of VABYSMO, a dual inhibitor of VEGF and ANG-2 that has been recently approved by the FDA for DME, wet ARMD and BRVO/CRVO. Dr. Das has authored numerous scientific articles and book chapters on angiogenesis and diabetic retinopathy, and has authored a textbook, “Therapy for Ocular Angiogenesis”. He has presented at numerous national and international meetings as a guest speaker. Dr. Das is currently Associate editor of the journal, “Diabetologia”, the publication of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) and has served on the editorial board of Diabetes, and Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), Retina Society, and Macula Society. Dr. Das has been honored with the Gold Fellowship award by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) for his contributions to the vision research. Over the past 30 years, Dr. Das has held numerous positions in academic and organized ophthalmology, participated in NIH and industry sponsored clinical trials in diabetic retinopathy, and assumed critical roles as a mentor, and preceptor for medical students, graduate students, residents, and post-doctoral fellows. Dr. Das has served on the NIH Study Section review Panel, and is currently a member of the Ophthalmology Working Group of the EDIC (Epidemiology of Diabetes Intervention and Complications) study, a NIH sponsored landmark clinical trial.
Personal Statement
I am a medical retina physician and clinician scientist with experience in molecular biology and biochemistry in the field of retinal vascular biology, angiogenesis and diabetic retinopathy. As a PI on several NIH R01 I have extensive experience in grants and VA Merit Review grant on retinal angiogenesis and molecular mechanisms of diabetic retinopathy, I have established a retinal vascular biology lab with Dr. Paul McGuire, PhD in the Department of Ophthalmology and Cell Biology and Physiology. As a retina physician, I have been treating patients with diabetic retinopathy and other retinal diseases for the last 25 years. As an investigator, I have been also involved with several landmark clinical trials (EDIC, DRCR, RIDE, READ-2) in diabetic retinopathy as well as many pharmaceutical trials. I currently serve on the Writing Committee of the EDIC Study Ophthalmology Group. I have extensive experience in diabetic patient evaluation, retinopathy assessment and treatment with intravitreal injections, laser and surgery, intraocular fluid collection, and directing clinical trials in diabetic retinopathy.
Areas of Specialty
Diseases and surgery of the retina and vitreous, including diabetic retinopathy, retinal vascular diseases and age-related macular degeneration.
Achievements & Awards
2016 Achievement Award, American Academy of Ophthalmology
2013 Regents' Professor, Ophthalmology, UNM School of Medicine
2010 Gold Fellow, Association for research in Vision & Ophthalmology
Gender
Male
Languages
- English
- Bengali
- Hindi