Many of us will be traveling to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) annual meeting this month in Orlando, Florida. As a member of the AAO’s retina subspecialty day program committee, I have the privilege of working alongside Sophie Bakri, MD, Anita Agarwal, MD, and Gaurav Shah, MD, to design an educational program that enhances the knowledge, skills, and professional performance of retinal specialists and ophthalmologists. The 2-day schedule is filled with lectures, interactive panel discussions, and debates that highlight important topics in medical and surgical retina.
Last month, I had the pleasure of participating in the 25th congress of the European Society of Retina Specialists (Euretina) in Paris. This global meeting was attended by over 10,000 attendees, making it the largest retina congress in the world. Led by Anat Lowenstein, MD, the Euretina president, the executive committee and board members assembled an amazing educational program that reviewed the current management of retinal disorders and highlighted the innovation occurring in the retinal field. I enjoyed meeting so many incredible retina specialists from all parts of the globe.
Whether you can attend Euretina, the AAO’s retina subspecialty day, or another retinal congress, these in-person annual meetings continue to be impactful events that bring thousands of individuals together to learn and collaborate. The Retinal Physician team will have an active presence at AAO, and I will be conducting video interviews with many retina colleagues who are sharing exciting data at the meeting. You will be able to view these highlight videos on www.retinalphysician.com or on our social media pages.
In this issue, Dr. Christine Nichols Kay reviews the landscape and latest developments in inherited retinal diseases (IRD), including retinal genetics and gene therapy. IRD is a rapidly evolving field, and there are numerous clinical trials underway investigating novel treatments for retinitis pigmentosa, Stargardt disease, and Leber congenital amaurosis. Dr. Jessica Randolph and colleagues review the manifestations of sickle cell disease and the management of sickle cell retinopathy. In addition, Dr. David Eichenbaum discusses macular telangiectasia type 2 and the approval of revakinagene taroretcel-lwey (Encelto; Neurotech Pharmaceuticals), which is a surgically administered encapsulated cell therapy device composed of a semipermeable membrane containing genetically engineered retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells. These modified RPE cells continuously produce ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), a neuroprotective protein that has demonstrated the ability to slow photoreceptor loss in patients with MacTel.
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