Michael J. Tolentino, MD

Michael J. Tolentino, MD is being recognized by Continental Who’s Who as a Pinnacle Lifetime Achiever in the field of Medicine as Partner, Retinal Surgeon and Researcher at The Macula Center, a Vision Integrated Partners Subsidiary. He sees new retinal and ophthalmic patients in Clearwater, The Villages, Lake Worth, Wellington and Del Ray Beach, FL.

An expert in complex retinal detachment repair, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, Dr. Tolentino has over 20 years of experience as a retinal surgeon, basic/clinical researcher, biotech entrepreneur and ophthalmic drug developer. Revered in his field, Dr. Tolentino is currently the director and founder of Blue Ocean Clinical Research. Having been an early pioneer in the invention and development of intra ocular anti-VEGF injections (Avastin, Lucentis and Eyelea), he is frequently invited as an international lecturer on anti-angiogenic, retinal and macular therapies; He has recently developed True Blue Sunglass/Computer Lenses and Macuhealth supplements designed to slow down the progression of macular degeneration and reduce intra ocular injections in macular degeneration patients. He has published more than 80- peer reviewed papers and over 100 publications. He also established the Tolentino Eye Research Foundation that supports and develops novel research in the eye field and is currently an Associate Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at University of Central Florida. He has recently co-founded Aviceda Therapeutics a Boston based Biotech company and serves as its Chief Scientific Officer. Aviceda is developing a novel class of nanoparticle therapeutic that will treat dry macular degeneration, inflammatory fibrotic diseases, cancer and neurological diseases such as Alzheimers. He has also serves as Scientific Advisor/Speaker/Consultant/Researcher for numerous Pharma and biotech companies.

Dr. Tolentino attended Brown University for his B.A. in Computer Science and Organizational Behavior. He obtained his MD from the University of Massachusetts. After this, Dr. Tolentino completed a medical internship, a post-doctoral angiogenesis research fellowship and an ophthalmic surgical residency all at Harvard Medical School. At Harvard, he performed research in the Laboratories of Drs. Judah Folkman, Anthony Adamis, Joan Miller, Pat D’Amore, Elliot Berson, Napolean Ferrara and Evangelos Gragoudas where he discovered the role of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy and demonstrated the therapeutic effects of intravitreal Avastin as a potential treatment for diabetic retinopathy and exudative macular degeneration. After Harvard he moved to the University of Pennsylvania where he held a joint appointment on the faculty of ophthalmology and cellular and molecular biology department while completing a rigorous vitreo-retinal surgical fellowship where he was the main vitreo retinal surgeon for the Philadelphia VA and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. At the university, his research focused of gene and cellular based therapy for the retina where he invented Bevasiranib a siRNA against VEGF which he clinically developed through a Phase III clinical trial in Humans. This invention was the basis for Acuity pharmaceuticals which became OPKO Health (NASDAQ: OPK).

He currently lives in Lakeland with his wife Agnes and 3 children. He would like to dedicate this recognition to his father, Felipe Tolentino, MD and mentors, Judah Folkman, MD, Anthony Adamis, MD, Jean Bennett, MD, Joan Miller MD, Pat D’Amore PhD, Elliot Berson MD, Albert Maguire MD, Stuart Fine MD and Alexander Brucker, MD.

For more information, please visit:

www.tolentinoeye.org/michael-tolentino-m-d-1, or maculacenter.com/michael-tolentino-florida-retinal-specialist.