Dec 15, 2020
Overview
Eversight-led research confirms a small but noteworthy prevalence rate of SARS-CoV-2 in postmortem ocular tissues. This webinar by Eversight Director of Research Onkar B. Sawant, PhD, will dive into the background, methods, findings and interpretations of this ongoing, collaborative investigation with researchers from Eversight, Wayne State University, Kellogg Eye Center and Rush University. Their paper—Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in human post-mortem ocular tissues—was recently published in The Ocular Surface and findings were also presented at the 2020 Cornea and Eye Banking Forum.
In this webinar, Eversight Vice President of Clinical Operations Michael Titus, CEBT, will also explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on eye banking operations and Eversight's response to provide safe donor eye tissues through donor screening, infection prevention protocols and postmortem SARS-CoV-2 testing.
About
As Director of Research at Eversight, Onkar B. Sawant, PhD, is responsible for all research and development activities, in addition to leading the Eversight Center for Vision and Eye Banking Research located in Cleveland. Dr. Sawant received a doctorate in biomedical sciences and masters in biotechnology from Texas A&M University. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute and was named an Emerging Vision Scientist by the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research.
Michael Titus, CEBT, joined Eversight in 2017. He is the former Chief Clinical Officer of Saving Sight, an eye bank in Kansas City, Missouri, where he successfully crafted the strategic direction of its clinical program, oversaw lab renovations and improved tissue quality and surgeon satisfaction. Prior to his time at Saving Sight, Titus excelled in various roles with Eversight from 2008 to 2013, including managing the laboratory in Michigan and playing an instrumental role in developing the Eversight DMEK program. He is a Certified Eye Bank Technician (CEBT) and currently serves on the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) Research Committee and Accreditation Board.