Researchers share ‘vision for hope’ at ARVO 2016

Seattle-Against the backdrop of the “Emerald City,” the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) returns to the Washington State Convention Center for its 2016 annual meeting, May 1 to 5.

The largest gathering of eye and vision researchers in the world promises five days of cutting-edge vision science, according to the organization. 

Revolving around this year’s theme, “Research: A Vision for Hope,” the meeting will include about 11,000 attendees from more than 75 countries, 6,000 posters, four symposia, and eight major lectures, including an opening and a closing keynote and lectures by ARVO awardees. It also will include special interest group sessions, workshops, social events, and networking opportunities, and a 25,000-square-foot exhibit hall.

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Here are some of the planned highlights of the meeting.

ARVO/Alcon Keynote Series

The ARVO/Alcon Keynote Series is supported by the ARVO Foundation through a contribution from Alcon Laboratories. It includes two events:

-Sunday, noon to 1:15pm

Allan Jones, PhD, CEO, Allen Institutes for Brain Science, will speak on “Components, Computation, Cognition: the Allen Institute for Brain Science 2020 vision.”

The Allen Institute for Brain Science is a non-profit research organization dedicated to providing tools and data for the larger research community. In 2012, it launched a $1 billion, 10-year program to characterize the structure and function of the circuitry of the mouse visual system, along with characterization of cell types in the human brain. This presentation will cover the Allen Institute’s projects and infrastructure, data highlights, and future plans.

-Thursday, 2 to 3:15 p.m.

A panel discussion, “Genetics of Vision: Problems and Solutions,” will be moderated by Russ Van Gelder, MD, PhD. The panel will include:

-Anneke den Hollander, PhD, Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Netherlands

-Debbie Nickerson, PhD, Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington

-Jay Shendure, MD, PhD, Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington

-Janey Wiggs, MD, PhD, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School

Other notable lectures

Other notable lectures

Beckman-Argyros Award in Vision Research Lecture

Thursday, 1 to 2 p.m.

“Seeing through the retina” given by David Williams of the University of Rochester

This talk will describe developments that combine adaptive optics with other imaging modalities to obtain not only structural but also functional information at a cellular spatial scale.

ARVO Achievement Award lectures

Proctor Medal: Joseph C. Besharse, PhD, FARVO

Monday, 5:45 to 6:30 p.m.

“Local Circadian Clocks at the Interface of Ocular Physiology”

Mildred Weisenfeld Award: Lawrence A. Yannuzzi, MD

Monday, 6:45 to 7:30 p.m.

“The Legend of Central Serous Chorioretinopathy: Pigment Epithelial Detachment”

Cogan Award: Botond Roska, MD, PhD

Wednesday, 5:45 to 6:30 p.m.

“The First Steps in Vision: Cell types, Circuits and Repair”

Friedenwald Award: Shigeru Kinoshita, MD, PhD, FARVO

Wednesday, 6:45 to 7:30 p.m.

“Medical Science and Future Realities in Corneal Regenerative Medicine”

Symposia

Symposia

Here are the symposia that will be held.

Sunday, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Translational genome engineering: Bringing CRISPR/Cas to the clinic

This symposium will reflect on the ethical and regulatory considerations of CRISPR/Cas technology, and highlight advances in the field, with a particular focus on clinical application.

Hide and seek: Is the eye an ideal hiding spot for pathogens or is the immune system just poor at surveillance?

The symposium will cover how a range of organisms from viruses (including Ebola), protozoa (Toxoplasma, Acanthomoeba) neamatode, and helminth worms (Toxocara, Loa Loa) manage to infect the tissues of the eye or the compartments of the eye and evade detection by the immune system.

Thursday, 8 to 10 a.m.

Age-related changes in the eye

This session will discuss advances in the science of aging and how it influences the functions of ocular cells. It also will examine how age-related changes in ocular cell function can lead to eye disease.

Dysregulation of autophagy and/or mitophagy leads to mitochondrial dysfunction in ocular disorders

This symposium will highlight how research on the mechanisms of autophagy and mitophagy in relation to mitochondrial biogenesis promotes our understanding of ocular disorders.

Workshops

Workshops

Sunday, 1:30 to 3 p.m.

Pizza with the experts

Organized by Members-in-Training Committee

Informal discussions over a pizza lunch on a wide range of topics to provide personal guidance, insight, and career advancement.

Diverse animal models for research on retinal and corneal degenerative diseases

Organized by Animals in Research Committee

This will focus on diverse animal models that have been used in retinal degenerative or corneal degenerative research toward better understanding of the mechanisms of disease and for testing emerging therapeutic strategies.

Starting a company to develop a product: Funding choices and challenges for the ophthalmic startup

Organized by Commercial Relationships and Members-in-Training committees

This workshop will help participants understand the funding and collaboration options available for those interested in commercializing technologies that are in early development.

Workshops (cont.)

Maintaining high standards in publishing: The ins and outs of peer review

Organized by Publications and Members-in-Training committees

This workshop will discuss nuances of the peer-review process, considering editor, reviewer, and author perspectives.

Monday, 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Ethical challenges and solutions in translating cellular therapy from animals to human clinical trials

Organized by Ethics and Regulations in Human Research Committee

The workshop will focus on the ethical challenges and solutions in transitioning from animal studies to human clinical trials of cell therapy.

Clinician-scientist forum: How to become a successful clinician-scientist

Organized by Members-in-Training Committee

This workshop is aimed at helping students, fellows, residents, and junior faculty prepare for their next career move. Speakers will provide their perspectives on careers in academia, NIH intramural laboratories, and nonprofit research foundations and institutes. Bring your own lunch.

China-ARVO networking forum

This is the 11th annual China-ARVO Networking Forum. It will provide a platform for vision researchers from China, the U.S., and other countries to exchange knowledge in the field of vision research and ophthalmology and promote collaboration.

NEI extramural roundtable for current grantees and new applicants: Updates on the extramural grant programs, policies and initiatives

This session is organized by the NEI Division of Extramural Research (DER) staff to provide updates on the research programs, initiatives, and changes in policies that will impact funding.

Tuesday, 1 to 2:30pm

Workshops (cont.)

Making a difference – how you can advocate your research to patients and the public using social media as an effective outreach tool

Organized by Advocacy and Outreach Committee

Learn how to use social media to raise the profile of vision research.

Identifying your career options using MyIDP, ScienceCareers.org, LinkedIn and more

Organized by Members-in-Training Committee

This workshop will help trainees identify core skills, create career awareness, and build competence in identifying career opportunities and developing strategies when searching for jobs.

Wednesday, 7 to 8:30 a.m.

Breakfast with the experts

Organized by Members-in-Training Committee 

Informal discussions over a continental breakfast on a wide range of topics to provide personal guidance, insight, and skills for career advancement.

Wednesday, 1 to 2:30 p.m.

The many faces of mentoring

Organized by Diversity Initiatives Committee

Speakers will use their own experiences to explore different forms of mentoring, and what worked in specific situations.

Invisible members: Raising the profile of global members in ARVO

Organized by Global Members Committee

This workshop will raise awareness of ARVO’s democratic culture and offer advice to international members on how to exert influence and participate more broadly within ARVO.

Let’s get to the meat: What works for graduate student and postdoctoral fellow applications for peer-reviewed funding

Organized by: Members-in-Training Committee

This workshop will help graduate student and postdoctoral fellows apply for peer-reviewed grants from government agencies and foundations.

Minisymposia

Minisymposia

Here are the minisymposia that will be held. Times vary:

Sunday:

• Next generation proteomics: Applications in ocular disease

• Basic and clinical research in chronic ocular graft-versus-host disease

Monday:

• Retinal ganglion cell dendrite pathology and synapse loss: Implications for glaucoma

• Parainflammation and what it means in the eye

• Changes in strabismus over time

• Corneal regeneration

• Early visual experience

Tuesday:

• Fluids inside and around the eyes in ocular health and pathologies

• Imaging the ocular circulation

• Optics of the eye and vision

• Eye and pregnancy

• Next generation sequencing: What’s next?

• Connecting the retina to the brain: The mouse

Wednesday:

• Personalized medicine in ocular pharmacology: Differences with gender and race

• Polarization-sensitive ophthalmic imaging

• Cell biology of gap junctions in the eye: Connexin signaling in health and disease

• Fixational eye movements

• Extracellular matrix in ocular development and disease

Social Events

Social Events

Sunday, 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.

ARVO Sunday Social at the Experience Music Project Museum

The entire museum is reserved for ARVO attendees. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and drinks, music, dancing, and browsing the interactive displays. Tickets for attendees are $15 in advance and $25 onsite. Guests are $35; kids 6 to 17 are $15; children under 5 are free.

Wednesday, 8 to 10 p.m.

ARVO Classical Concert

Benaroya Hall

ARVO members perform classical selections at this popular concert event.

Wednesday, 9 p.m.

ARVO Karaoke

Hard Rock Café

A night of amateur singing and fun. Admission is $10 and includes one complimentary drink. Light snacks will be available.

Thursday, 10 a.m.

Baltimore Welcomes ARVO 2017 Kick-Off Reception

Exhibit Hall

All are invited to join ARVO and Visit Baltimore as they look forward to the 2017 Annual Meeting. Snacks and beverages will be served.

Pre-Meeting

Pre Meeting

Plan to arrive early if you would like to attend “Traumatic Brain Injury and Vision: The Outlook for Therapeutics” on Saturday, April 30, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A panel of vision researchers and neuropathologists will present the latest findings related to the interface between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and visual function in military veterans and athletes. Talks will explore the biomedical mechanisms that may hold the key to developing novel therapies to address the progressive visual deficits associated with TBI.

SPONSORED: Join us for dinner and diabetic eye disease strategies! Click here if you’re attending ARVO!Click here if you’re attending ASCRS!