ARVO 2017 making global connections in vision research

ARVO View By Katrina Norfleet

Though the year is quickly winding down, clinical education opportunities still abound for clinicians and vision researchers via the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).

For instance, a one-day public workshop will focus on the newest clinical data on inherited retinal diseases and future clinical trial designs aimed at developing therapies to stem vision loss.

Organized by ARVO, the NEI/FDA Workshop on “Retinal Disease Clinical Trial Endpoints: AMD and Inherited Retinal Diseases” will take place Nov. 9 on the NIH campus, Bethesda, MD.

Onsite space is limited, however, attendees can still participate via the webcast, which will allow them to view and listen to the lectures and moderated sessions, as well as join online discussions and pose questions.

Participants will review clinical trial design considerations for AMD and inherited retinal diseases in order to develop strategies for:

• Improved trial design and endpoints based on current evidence

• Approaches to classifying and stratifying the patient population

• Clinically meaningful surrogate or interim endpoints

• Potentially impactful gaps for research funding

To learn more or register for the webcast, visit http://www.arvo.org/Endpoints2016/.

Meet up at ARVO 2017

Meet up at ARVO 2017

Now is the time to start planning for the ARVO 2017 annual meeting, which will take place May 7 to 11 in Baltimore.

The theme, “Global connections in vision research,” reflects the successes and challenges that clinician-researchers face in bridging gaps in scientific knowledge, creating effective collaborations, and keeping bright, young clinicians engaged in eye and vision research. Registration is now open at arvo.org/am.

Abstracts submission for ARVO 2017 opens Oct. 15 and closes Dec. 2. Tools are available online to assist with the submission process, including Successful Abstract Submission Guidelines and Top-scoring Abstract Samples. For additional information, visit http://www.arvo.org/AM/Abstracts/.

Hotels for every budget are located within walking distance of the Baltimore Convention Center, where the annual meeting will be held. To guarantee ARVO’s discounted hotel rates, reservations must be made online through the ARVO Housing Bureau.

For attendees who may be wondering what attractions to visit during their stay, several ARVO members who live and work in Baltimore share some of the city’s best-kept secrets in the Fall 2016 ARVONews article, “What’s there to like about Baltimore?” (http://bit.ly/2dB1bDD).

ARVO Education Courses

Five courses-one half-day and four full-day-will take place on Saturday, May 6, the day before the annual meeting opens. Education courses offer an in-depth focus often lacking at larger meetings on specific topics. The 2017 courses include:

Full-day courses (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

• Big data: Current status and future directions

• Diabetic retinopathy: Past, present, and future

• Demystifying statistics and research for ophthalmic investigators

• Stem cells and organoids as models of tissue differentiation and eye diseases

Half-day course (1 to 4:30pm)

• Retinitis pigmentosa - novel treatments and challenges

Registration for the education courses is separate from and in addition to the annual meeting registration. Learn more at http://www.arvo.org/AM/EducationCourses/

Nominations invited for translational research awards

ARVO Foundation invites nominations for translational research awards

Consider nominating a young colleague for the 2017 Pfizer Ophthalmics/Carl Camras Translational Research Awards before the Oct. 31 deadline. The award honors up to three early-career investigators for their contributions to translational research in ophthalmology and presents each with $12,000. The awards will be presented at the ARVO 2017  annual meeting in Baltimore.

Nominations are open to all members of the vision research community who meet the following criteria:

• Early career researchers, who are no more than 45 years old at the time of nomination.

• Exhibit excellence in research and their fundamental scientific discoveries, concepts and novel technologies

• The discovery or observation must have led to, or have the promise of leading to, clinical applications.

Additional awards and fellowships

• The $100,000 David L. Epstein Award (glaucoma)

• Two $40,000 Genentech Age-related Macular Degeneration Research Fellowships

• The 10,000 Dr. Roger Vogel Award in Pharmaceutical Research

Nominations and applications must be submitted online by Oct. 31. Visit www.arvofoundation.org for more information.