Doheny-UCLA Breakfast Forum at ARVO 2024

Fresh Perspectives on Retinopathy

Retinopathy remains the leading cause of vision loss in the global working population. Regardless of whether it is triggered by ischemia or diabetes, the late vision-threatening stage of retinopathy is marked by VEGF-mediated pathological neovascularization and concomitant vascular leakage. As such, anti-VEGF therapies have long been the preferred strategy to manage retinopathies in the clinic. Yet, these treatments are not fully effective in a large number of patients and require repeated eye injections in those who respond favorably. The apparent clinical need to manage retinopathies more effectively has led to a growing interest in looking beyond VEGF and addressing retinopathy as a multifactorial condition involving myriad risk factors.

To this end, emerging evidence has begun to provide tantalizing new perspectives on the pathogenesis of retinopathy. Among these are the potential role of innate immune cells, genetic risk factors, and retinal lipids/cholesterol. This Doheny ARVO breakfast forum aims to bring together experts who have made significant advances in our mechanistic understanding of these fresh perspectives. We believe that such interactions will spawn further interest in discovering other previously unrecognized determinants of retinopathy.

Presentations / Speakers

Novel Role of Lipids in Pathogenesis of Diabetic Retinopathy

Julia V. Busik, PhD, FARVO

Professor and Chair
Department of Biochemistry and Physiology
Ed Miller Endowed Chair
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

Beyond VEGF: Do Genes Play a Role in Modifying
 Progression of Diabetic Retinopathy?

Arup Das, MD, PhD, FARVO

Regents’ Professor of Ophthalmology and
 Cell Biology & Physiology
Vice-Chairman of Research, Department of Surgery
University of New Mexico School of Medicine
Albuquerque, NM

Targeting Cellular Senescence in Retinopathies

Mike (Przemyslaw) Sapieha, PhD

FROUM Endowed Chair
Canada Research Chair in Retinal Cell Biology
Member of the College of the Royal Society of
Canada
Professor of Ophthalmology, Biochemistry and
 Molecular Medicine, University of Montreal

Organizers

Kaustabh Ghosh, PhD (Moderator)

Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA

Doheny Eye Institute


Deborah A. Ferrington, PhD


Chief Scientific Officer
Stephen J. Ryan – Arnold and Mabel Beckman
Foundation Endowed Presidential Chair

Professor, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA

Doheny Eye Institute


Date Sunday, May 5, 2024
Time 6:30 AM – 8:00 PM
Location Grand Hyatt Seattle, Menzies Suite, 6th Floor