Dear colleagues and friends in the field of retinal diseases,

We are living through rough times. Due to the global pandemic, it is difficult, when it is not impossible to meet in person. Nevertheless, we cannot stop discussing science. It is our responsibility, as scientists, to keep the conversation running, share with other colleagues our results, and get to know what other researchers are doing in our field. This is the reason we decided to launch this "I Symposium on Retinal Degenerations" online.

Today, blindness represents a growing global problem, with a significant impact on affected patients and on society in general. In 2010, around 3% of the European population suffered total or partial blindness (according to the WHO). Increased life expectancy and aging accentuate the problem, since visual impairment is mainly suffered by the elderly. Some studies indicate that, in some years, most European citizens over the age of 60 will be affected by some disease that affects vision, such as glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa (RP), age-related macular degeneration ( AMD) or diabetic retinopathy (RD). Despite advances in genetic knowledge, to date there is no effective cure option, representing an urgent need to develop new treatment strategies. Nevertheless, several approaches to find a cure for diseases that cause blindness: transplantation, biomechanical implants, gene therapy, neuroprotection, etc.

The objective of the "I Symposium on retinal degeneration" is to discuss the latest discoveries in the field. Basic and clinical experts are invited to submit their communications (in the form of an oral presentation or poster). Likewise, companies and patient associations will join us. Invited speakers are all well-known international scientists in the field of retinal degeneration.

Looking forward to meet all of you at the meeting,

Javier Sancho-Pelluz, PhD

Preliminary program

WEDNESDAY, October 28TH

4.00 pm Opening of the Symposium

4.20 pm Opening lecture by Valeria Canto-Soler, PhD University of Colorado
"Human iPSC-derived 3D retinal tissue for stem cell-based therapies for retinal degenerative diseases"

5.00 pm Session I: New insights in biology of the retina (Moderator: Jorge Barcia)

5.00 pm Muriel Perron, French National Centre for Scientific Research
"Linking neuroinflammation to retinal regeneration"

5.30 pm Kirsten Wunderlich, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich
"Impaired ion homeostasis affects Müller cell function and retinal integrity"

6.00 pm COFFEE BREAK

6.15 pm Michal Fiedorowicz, Mossakowski Medical Research Centre Polish Academy of Sciences
"Extraretinal neurodegeneration in a murine model of glaucoma"

6.45 pm Zohreh Hosseinzadeh, Leipzig University
"Selective activation of retinal pathways"

THURSDAY, October 29TH
3.00 pm Poster session I

4.00 pm Session II: Novel strategies to fight blindness (i) (Moderator: Zohreh Hosseinzadeh)

4.00 pm Ayse Sahaboglu, University of Tübingen
"Recent advances on neuroprotective effect of PARP inhibition in retinal degeneration"

4.30 pm Regina Rodrigo, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe
"TNF alpha/TNFR1 signalling as therapeutic target for inherited retinal dystrophies"

5.00 pm Javier Sancho-Pelluz, Universidad Católica de Valencia
"Extracellular vesicles released from the retina”

5.30 pm Maria Thereza Perez, Lund University
"Developing artificial photoreceptors"

6.00 pm COFFEE BREAK

6.15 pm Session III: Novel strategies to fight blindness (ii) (Moderator: Ayse Sahaboglu)

6.15 pm Dragana Trifunovic, University of Tübingen
"Epigenetic as a tool for photoreceptor neuroprotection"

6.45 pm Slaven Erceg, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe
"The cell strategy for hereditary retinal dystrophies: MERTK associated Retinitis pigmentosa"

7.15 pm Vicente Hernández-Rabaza, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU
"Reduction of the progression of retinitis pigmentosa in an animal model, through an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant treatment"

7.45 pm Sussane Kosch, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich
"Retinal remodeling after rescue in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa"

FRIDAY, October 30TH

3.00 pm Poster session II

4.00 pm Session IV: Bench to bedside: clinical research and industry (Moderator: Javier Sancho-Pelluz)

4.00 pm Stefann Kustermann, Roche
"in vitro models for retinal toxicity assessment."

4.30 pm Francisco Díaz-Corrales, Limnopharma
"New therapeutic agents for retinitis pigmentosa based on SIRT1 activation and PARP-1 inhibition"

5.00 pm Roberto Gallego-Pinazo, Oftalvist
"Unmet clinical needs through the neurodegenerative journey in AMD"

5.30 pm Nicolás Cuenca, Universidad de Alicante
"Retinal degeneration in Parkinson's disease"

6.00 pm Christine A. Curcio, University of Alabama at Birmingham
"Clinically visible progression indicators in age-related macular degeneration are transdifferentiated retinal pigment epithelium"

6.30 pm Closing lecture by Stephen H. Tsang, MD, PhD Columbia University
"Precision Genome Surgery for Imprecision Medicine"

Abstract submission

Interested parties must send their communication to the following email address: srd@ucv.es.
Deadline for abstract submission is September 30th 2020.

Deadline extended to October the 7th

Registration

Please follow the instructions to register to the symposium.
Deadline to register is October 27th 2020.
Registration is free of charge and is open to everyone