IPN 2022 October

Fighting Blindness to Host Leading International Eye Researchers

Retina, the annual gathering of international eye experts organised by Fighting Blindness, returns to Dublin this November for the first time since 2019.

Dr Ellen Moran, Research Manager, Fighting Blindness

Dr Abigail Fahim, Assistant Professor, Kellogg Eye Centre, Michigan, USA

The scientific stream of the conference takes place from November 3-4 and brings together leading clinicians and scientists at the vanguard of ophthalmology research.

Now in its 14th year, Retina aims to enable participants share the advances they are making with their peers, to offer a springboard for ideas, and to provide an opportunity for collaboration in the collective human effort to find treatments and cures for vision impairment and blindness.

With latest figures showing that there are approximately 272,000 people in Ireland living with blindness or vision impairment, this event will be of interest to all those working in eye healthcare, from researchers working at the bench, to clinicians working at the bedside.

Registration for the conference, which is taking place in the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Golden Lane, Dublin 2, will open on October 1 at www.retina.ie

Day 1 – StarT Symposium

The first day of the conference, Thursday November 3, features a StarT symposium, organised by StarT, a European Training Network, established to advance diagnosis, understanding and treatment of Stargardt disease.

Among the speakers will be Professor Mariya Moosajee, Francis Crick Institute London, whose work ranges from developing new therapies for inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) to developing patient understanding with the creation of the Gene Vision online resource on rare genetic eye disorders.

Day 2 – Scientific Conference

The second day of the conference, Friday November 4, features a wide range of speakers who will offer perspectives on topics such as the use of adaptive optics in Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), developments in gene editing for inherited retinal diseases, and the use of artificial intelligence in offering precision diagnosis for eye disease. Speakers include:

• Professor Catherine Bowes Rickman, Duke University, USA, one of the world’s leading experts on AMD who will speak on the pathobiology of AMD and her work to find a cure

• Professor Austin John Roorda, University of California, Berkeley, USA, inventor of the Adaptive Optics (AO) Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope, who will address the use of AO in studying AMD and evaluating treatments to slow its progression

• Dr Alessandra Recchia, Associate Professor in Molecular Biology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy, who will update on gene editing in inherited retinal diseases and her application of the CRISPR/Cas gene therapy tool in retinitis pigmentosa

• Professor Rando Allikmets, Columbia University, New York, who discovered the first gene associated with AMD, among other discoveries, will speak on precision ophthalmology and using state-of-the-art genetic testing for personalised treatment of Stargardt/ABCA4 disease

‘Back in the Room’

For Dr Ellen Moran, Research Manager with Fighting Blindness, Retina 2022 provides an opportunity for the international eye research community to come together, share ideas and develop partnerships:

“We are delighted to welcome some of the world’s foremost thinkers in ophthalmology research to Dublin for what promises to be the most inspiring Retina conference yet. It was 2019 when the eye research community last had an opportunity to gather in-person for Retina and the intervening period has been particularly challenging for the IRD community, with several potential therapies not making it through clinical trials. Many in the community feel some of these therapies have indeed shown promise, but that success is perhaps only being judged in improving, as opposed to maintaining vision, and that keeping current levels of sight should also be deemed a win. The unfortunate reality is that while mutations have now been identified in over 300 genes for IRDs, therapies continue to elude us. We owe it to the approximately 5,000 people in Ireland with an IRD to put our shoulders to the wheel in driving forward innovation in this area.

“That’s why Retina 2022 provides such a valuable opportunity to allow people to get ‘back in the room’, to meet face-to-face, and to showcase the positive scientific research advances being made, as well as to address some of the

challenges before us and how these can best be overcome. Retina is unique in providing earlystage researchers and established experts a joint platform to share their insights and develop personal connections and collaborations.”

Unlocking Retinal Cells

One of the conference speakers, Dr Abigail Fahim, Assistant Professor, Kellogg Eye Centre, Michigan, USA, adds:

“Retinal pigment epithelial cells, or RPE cells, form a supportive layer adjacent to the light-sensing cells of the retina. RPE cells are critical for the health of the retina and the health of the underlying blood vessels, called the choroid. In certain inherited retinal dystrophies, such as choroideremia, dysfunction of RPE cells can disrupt this support system and can lead to damage of the adjacent retina and choroidal vasculature, causing irreversible vision loss. My lab examines abnormalities of protein transport and release from RPE cells in choroideremia, and how these released proteins may be damaging neighboring tissues. We hope to establish a platform for testing new treatments in choroideremia and other diseases with RPE dysfunction. This is the next step to give these patients hope.”

Retina 2022 is supported by AbbVie, Novartis, Roche and Specsavers. For more information on the conference proceedings and to register, visit www.retina. ie, or follow on Twitter @fight_ blindness #RetinaDublin