EURETINA 2026: Gene therapy sessions to watch in Vienna

Gene therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), and inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) will appear in a focused set of sessions at EURETINA 2026, held October 1 to 4 in Vienna, Austria.¹

An industry satellite symposium on the intravitreal gene therapy 4D-150 and an instructional course on subretinal drug delivery are the sessions most directly tied to gene therapy, based on the published congress program.^1,2 IRD courses, free paper sessions, and a clinical trials session round out the agenda.

The sessions reflect two distinct delivery strategies: intravitreal injection for VEGF-driven disease and subretinal surgery for monogenic IRDs. Most of the relevant content falls on Friday, October 2, when the IRD course series, the clinical trials session, and the subretinal delivery course all take place.¹

4D-150 intravitreal gene therapy and subretinal delivery at EURETINA 2026

The satellite symposium "Intravitreal Gene Therapy With 4D-150: Advancing Clinical Evidence of a Potential Backbone Therapy in nAMD and DME" is scheduled for Saturday, October 3, from 10:15 to 11:15 CEST in Schubert 1.² Prof. Gemmy Cheung, MBBS, FRCOphth, FAMS, MCI, head of the Medical Retina Department and senior consultant at the Singapore National Eye Centre and professor at Duke-NUS Medical School, will chair the session. 4D-150 is in development by 4D Molecular Therapeutics. The "backbone therapy" framing in the session title is the sponsor's characterization, and the program does not specify which clinical data will be presented.

On Friday, October 2, from 11:00 to 12:00 CEST, Robert E. MacLaren, MB ChB, DPhil, DSc, FRCOphth, FRCS, FACS, FMedSci, and Fanny Nerinckx, MD, will chair the instructional course "Surgical techniques for subretinal drug delivery."¹

Inherited retinal disease and clinical trial sessions with potential gene therapy data

Euretina Session 6, "Results of Clinical Trials & Late Breaking News Session," runs Friday, October 2, from 12:15 to 13:45 CEST. Martin S. Zinkernagel, MD, PhD, and Arshad M. Khanani, MD, MA, FASRS, will chair.¹

Later the same day, Euretina Session 8, "IRD & Paediatrics," takes place from 16:30 to 17:30, chaired by Bart P. LeRoy, MD, PhD, and Isabelle Audo, MD, PhD.1 The IRD course runs through Friday, with Parts 2, 3, and 4 at 11:00, 12:15, and 15:15. Chairs for those parts include Carel B. Hoyng, MD, PhD, and Camiel J.F. Boon, MD, PhD, as well as LeRoy.¹ Friday opens at 08:30 with the instructional course "From Gene to Retina: How to Read and Act on a Genetic Report in Clinical Practice—Part I," chaired by Marco Nassisi, MD, and Audo.¹

IRD free paper sessions are scheduled for Thursday, October 1, at 12:00 and 15:00. MacLaren co-chairs the afternoon session alongside Tharikarn Sujirakul, MD.1 Two more IRD free paper sessions follow on Sunday, October 4, at 11:30 and 12:45. Friday poster sessions covering IRDs run at 12:15 (imaging/IRD) and 15:15.¹

On Saturday, October 3, the 09:00 slot includes Research Session 2, focused on molecular and cell science. It also includes the WSPOS x EURETINA session on pediatric medical retina and IRDs.¹

EURETINA has also announced a 2027 Special Focus Meeting dedicated to inherited retinal diseases.¹

REFERENCES

1. EURETINA. Programme list view: EURETINA 2026 Vienna. Accessed September 30, 2026. https://euretina.org/vienna-2026/programme-list-view/

2. EURETINA. Satellite symposia: EURETINA 2026 Vienna. Accessed September 30, 2026. https://euretina.org/vienna-2026/satellite-symposia/