Cascade Prodrug Appoints Key Ophthalmologist to Board

EUGENE, Ore., Sept. 29, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Cascade Prodrug Inc., a biotechnology company developing a paradigm-shifting antiangiogenic prodrug for ophthalmic diseases, today announced the appointment of Kenneth Mandell, M.D., Ph.D., to its Board of Directors. Dr. Mandell is a Harvard-trained ophthalmologist and biotechnology entrepreneur with a proven track record of developing innovative therapeutics and medical devices for ophthalmic diseases. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of LayerBio, Inc., an MIT spinout developing sustained-release drug delivery technologies for ocular and systemic diseases.

Dr. Mandell also serves on the Boards of Proteris Biotech and the Usher III Initiative and advises several life science companies, including Nanoretinal, Repoxegen Therapeutics, and Iuvo Clinical. He previously held executive roles as Chief Medical Officer at Aramis Biosciences, Intergalactic Therapeutics, Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, and Noveome Biotherapeutics.

An inventor on more than 15 issued U.S. patents, Dr. Mandell co-invented TYRVAYA® (Viatris Inc.), the first FDA-approved nasal spray for dry eye disease, and reproxalap eye drops (Aldeyra Therapeutics) for ocular inflammation. He has contributed to more than a dozen Investigational New Drug applications and directed multiple Phase 1 through Phase 3 clinical trials across ophthalmology.

In addition to his commercial work, Dr. Mandell maintains an adjunct appointment in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Department of Mechanical Engineering and previously served as an independent medical monitor for clinical trials at the National Eye Institute (NEI).

Cascade Prodrug is an ophthalmology-focused biotechnology company developing a novel prodrug to directly target aberrant angiogenesis associated with hypoxic microenvironments. The company’s lead program, CPD100, is being developed as a potential first-in-class targeted therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD).

CPD100 is activated by gradual reduction to vinblastine by endogenous tissue-reductases. Once activated, CPD100 exerts potent antiangiogenic activity, which is particularly enhanced within hypoxic microenvironments. Current intravitreal antiangiogenic therapies control aberrant angiogenesis by decreasing high VEGF concentrations in wet AMD. In contrast, CPD100 aims to directly target proliferating endothelial cells within hypoxia-driven neovascular choroid lesions without damaging retinal cells. To further increase its therapeutic index, CPD100 is being developed for localized delivery to the back of the eye through suprachoroidal administration, which is yet another differentiated approach from conventional intravitreal anti-VEGF therapies.