Retina 2015 - Scientific Programme 

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Leading scientific conference on retinal research for scientists, clinicians, patients, pharmaceutical industry and policy makers. Speakers include international experts from the US, Europe and Ireland. Organised by Irish patient-led charity, Fighting Blindness in Dublin, Ireland.

Attendees will receive 10 external CPD points from the Irish College of Ophthalmologists.

Registration Fees:  

• Undergraduate Student: €20
• PhD Students/ICO trainees: €40
• Postdoctoral Researchers: €65
• Principal Investigator: €100 
• Clinician: €100
• Industry Representative: €150

Content in the Scientific Programme on Friday, November 6, will be extremely technical and is aimed at scientists. The Public Engagement Day on Saturday, November 7, is designed for patients, family members and interested parties.

Agenda

8:30am Registration and poster viewing

9.15am  Opening Address

Kevin Bowers, Chairperson of Fighting Blindness

Professor Robin Ali, University College London, Chair of Fighting Blindness Medical and Scientific Advisory Board

9:40am Dr. Graham Love: Health Research Board

- Public and Patient Involvement in Health Research

Session 1: Chair Dr Maria Meehan, Fighting Blindness Research Manager

10am Prof Eberhart Zrenner: University of Tubingen and TubingenEye Hospital, Germany

-Treatment of Hereditary Retinal Degeneration with Transcorneal Electric Stimulation (TES)

10:30am Dr Shannon Boye: University Of Florida, USA 

– Gene Delivery to the Retina: Current and Emerging Technologies

11am Dr Stephen Rose, Foundation Fighting Blindness, USA

- The US Perspective 

11:15am Jason Smyth, Fastest Paralympic Athlete on the Planet

11:30am Coffee break and poster viewing

Session 2: Chair – Prof Frank Barry, National University of Ireland, Galway

12pm Dr Volker Busskamp: Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD) Dresden, Germany

- Cell type-specific optogenetic vision restoration strategies

12:30pm Dr Breandán Kennedy: University College Dublin 

– Pharmacological Restoration of Visual Function in a Blind Zebrafish Mutant Following Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor (HDACi) Treatment

1pm Prof Rocio Herrero Vanrell: University of Completense Madrid, Spain

– Biodegradable Microparticulate Devices for the Treatment of Retinal Degenerative Diseases

1:30pm Aine Mae O’Mahony, Broadcaster and Fighting Blindness member

1:45pm  Minister Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, TD – Formal Opening of Retina 2015 

 2pm  Lunch and poster viewing

3pm Winning Poster Presentation

Mr David Keegan, Fighting Blindness Board Member introduces The Geraldine Duggan Award, to be presented by Suzanne Duggan.

Session 3: Chair – Prof John Flannery, University of California, Berkeley

3:15 pm: Dr Deniz Dalkara: Institut de la Vision in Paris, France

- Optogenetics for vision restoration- translation from mice to non-human primates

3:45 pm: Dr Jasmina Cehajic-Kaptenaovic: University of Manchester and Manchester Royal Eye Hospital

- Restoration of Vision with Ectopic Expression of Human Rod Opsin

Session 4: Chair – Prof Brendan Buckley, ICON Plc and University College Cork

4:15pm: Prof Joseph Carroll: Medical College of Wisconsin, USA

– High-Resolution Retinal Imaging and Clinical Trials – What’s Next?

4:45pm Dr Eric Pierce:  Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, USA

– Studies of the Genetic Causality of Inherited Retinal Degeneration

5:15 pm Christina Fasser, President Retina International

5:30pm Close

For more information please contact research@fightingblindness.ie.