QUALITY OVER QUANTITY IS FOCUS OF EURETINA WINTER MEETING

Researchers and clinicians from Europe and further afield took full advantage of the opportunity to take stock of recent progress in the field of retina studies at a lively and highly stimulating 3rd EURETINA Winter meeting in Rome, Italy. “It was a great success and the feedback from participants was very positive indeed,†Gisbert Richard, president of EURETINA told EuroTimes. “The international guests were very enthusiastic about the meeting, with renowned scientists presenting their findings in the fields of diagnostics and treatments for retinological diseases. At the same time there were a great number of posters, giving young scientists the opportunity to present their projects and results,†he said.

As Dr Richard noted, the aim of the winter meeting is rather different than the main EURETINA Congress and affords delegates the opportunity to exchange and debate in a slightly less charged atmosphere than the main congress. “The EURETINA Congress is designed to provide a forum for clinicians to learn about the latest developments in the fields of diagnostics and vitreoretinal treatment. The winter meeting, however, focuses more on future trends. That future is created in the laboratories of scientists undertaking basic research who frequently do not work in eye clinics but in basic research laboratories, in neurology, and so forth. So the aim of the meeting is to bring basic researchers and clinicians together. This was done in Rome and both the clinicians and the basic scientists were very satisfied,†he said.

With the ophthalmic meeting calendar increasingly crowded, Dr Richard said that it was important to have clearly-defined aims in order to give the winter meeting a distinctive feel and character. “We deliberately chose not to have an industrial exhibition or industrial support to maintain the independent character of the event. The goal of the meeting is to offer a rather limited congress of high scientific standard with invited speakers and a lot of discussion time. This is only possible if the meeting is not too large. Quality is more important than quantity,†he said.

Developments in artificial vision and retinal chips, the latest in imaging technologies and treatments for degenerative diseases were among some of the key topics under the spotlight at the meeting, said Dr Richard. “In many of the specific topics important developments are knocking on the door. This is true for imaging diagnostics, for retinal chips and electrostimulation, for the prevention and treatment of degeneration and for the interaction of degeneration and inflammation of the eye,†he said. The pace of technological advances in recent years continues to drive forward diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities, said Dr Richard.

“The speed and resolution of imaging methods have vastly improved over the last few years. Today they yield information about the behaviour of individual cells, and in the near future it may be possible to gain insights into the metabolic processes inside the cells. The retinal chip is already in use clinically and we saw some interesting results presented in Rome. However, the limitations of this technique were also discussed in one paper. There have also been important advances in electrostimulation for degenerative diseases, for which astonishing results were reported, also from the neurological viewpoint. These will have to be investigated in controlled ophthalmological studies,†he said.

Researchers are also continuing to shed light on the complex processes underlying degenerative retinal diseases and are thus moving closer to the goal of preventing them or inducing regeneration, added Dr Richard. “The great potential of stem cells was illustrated by various speakers. Looking at degeneration and inflammation at the molecular level reveals astonishing cross-links that were surprising to some,†he said. Looking ahead to this year’s EURETINA Congress in Hamburg in September, Dr Richard said that the organisers anticipate another successful meeting to build on the momentum achieved in recent years.

“The EURETINA congress has developed into the biggest international retinological meeting worldwide, and has a distinguished reputation. It has therefore become important for clinicians and for the industry. This year we are going to organise a World Retina Day, which will make the international and worldwide focus of the congress more obvious than previously. The majority of the vitreoretinal societies from Europe, Asia, North and South America and the Middle East will take part with their own symposia,†he said.

As Dr Richard sees it, the important point to remember is that organisations like EURETINA are ultimately there to further the cause of the millions of patients worldwide afflicted with potentially blinding and debilitating retinal and macular diseases. “Vitreoretinal diagnostics and treatment have experienced an enormous boom in the last few years, which has also marked the whole of medicine. This development serves the well-being of patients, and has also taught us that with a better understanding of many diseases, we are better able to treat them. We believe that this dynamic trend will continue as the pipeline is well filled with new developments, giving us high hopes, in the interests of our patients,†he concluded.