8:30 am Morning Refreshments & Check In
8:55 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
SPEARHEADING DEVELOPMENT TO ACCELERATE THE NEXT GENERATION OF DRY AMD & GA THERAPEUTICS
9:00 am Panel Discussion Is 2024 the Year of Dry AMD?: Evaluating Current Safety, Delivery & Regulatory Challenges, Recent Successes with Approved GA Drugs & the Future of Dry AMD & GA Drug Development
Synopsis
- Discussing the potential of targeting multiple pathways, such as complement and inflammasomes, with a single drug to halt disease progression
- Exploring the potential of combination therapies to tackle multifaceted challenges and revolutionize treatment paradigms for early, intermediate and late AMD
- Uncovering novel preclinical models that can recapitulate the macular microenvironment in dry AMD and GA
- Reviewing the different drug delivery techniques such as intravitreal and suprachoroidal injections as potential methods to reduce injection frequence and improve patient compliance
9:30 am Delving Into Boehringer Ingelheim’s Ophthalmology Pipeline
Synopsis
- Integrating multi-disciplinary research and technology to preserve vision and enhance life quality
- Targeting vascular, neuronal, and inflammatory mechanisms in retinal diseases
- Exploring various routes of administration for AMD
10:00 am Speed Networking Break
Synopsis
An optimal chance to network one-to-one with leading retinal and ophthalmology experts working across dry AMD and geographic atrophy. Learn how your peers are discovering new target pathways, novel modalities and preclinical models to fast-track earlier interventions for dry AMD into the clinic.
10:30 am Morning Break
SHOWCASING NEXT GENERATION IN VITRO & IN VIVO PRECLINICAL MODELS TO SUPERCHARGE DRY AMD DISEASE RECAPITULATION
11:00 am Unlocking Insights Into AMD Pathogenesis with Advancements in In Vitro Modelling Including Cell Cultures & Retinal Organoids
Synopsis
- Reviewing the differential susceptibility of macular RPE cells and the role of RPE dysregulation in AMD pathogenesis
- Recapitulating the morphological and functional abnormalities of dry AMD in in vitro models including spontaneously formed cell lines, immortalized cells, primary human and animal RPE cells, and embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived RPE
- Generating retinal organoids mimicking in vivo retinal development and its molecular and cellular profiles
UTILISING GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS STUDIES TO ACCELERATE TARGET IDENTIFICATION & VALIDATION FOR EARLY THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION
11:30 am Utilising Genomics & Proteomics Studies to Accelerate Target Identification & Validation for Early Therapeutic Intervention
Synopsis
- Discussing the integration of cellular models, in vitro tissue systems, and animal models in validating genetic variants implicated in diseases
- Highlighting the use of iPSCs and 3D cell models to accelerate the functional characterization of potential and existing therapeutic targets
- Showcasing how pooled and array-based CRISPR technologies are utilized for genome-wide variant modification, and how these methodologies enhance our understanding of disease mechanisms
12:00 pm Delving Into the Genetics of Dry AMD: Disease Risk & Disease Progression
Synopsis
- Identification of therapeutic targets for age-related macular degenerations using genome-wide association studies (GWAS)
- Leveraging deep clinical data in large-scale biobanks for GWAS of AMD, disease subtypes, and progression
- Inferring pathogenic genes, pathways, and cell types by incorporating retina multi-omics data
12:30 pm Lunch & Networking Break
1:15 pm Utilizing Genomics & Proteomics Approaches to Understand Disease Pathogenesis of Dry AMD & Geographic Atrophy
Synopsis
- Revolutionizing the latest advancement in genomics and proteomics to improve understanding of disease pathogenesis, beyond simple genetic mutations
- Uncovering the relationships between genomic alterations and disease phenotypes, and gaining insights into how inflammation can lead to different disease manifestations
- Discussing emerging methodologies and technologies advancing the understanding of complex molecular interactions underlying disease progression and paving the way for more effective interventions and personalized medicine approaches
1:45 pm Roundtable Discussion: Overcoming Discovery, Preclinical & Clinical Challenges at Each Stage of Drug Development for Dry AMD & Geographic Atrophy
Synopsis
- Discovery: What are the latest innovations being utilized (including imaging, tissue culture and organoid studies) to improve disease knowledge and therefore fast-track drug development? What are the new targets and drug modalities beyond complement and inflammasome systems?
- Translational: What are the preclinical models (in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo) being developed to ensure more accurate replication of disease for smoother translation into the clinic? What are the current safety and efficacy models and how can they be improved?
- Clinical: What are the current FDA-approved clinical endpoints and what are the new functional endpoints required to show efficacy to the EMA? How can these endpoints be achieved in niche clinical trials for dry AMD vs GA?
Moderator Feedback & Audience Debate:
Moderators will be assigned to each roundtable to facilitate discussion and collate the findings. Following the roundtable discussions, they will present back to the entire delegation and open up a wider audience debate
2:30 pm Scientific Poster Session
Synopsis
Want to share your work but not ready for the big stage just yet? The Scientific Poster Session is your prime time to share your work with peers with discovery, preclinical, translational and clinical backgrounds, all working on developing intermediate and late-stage AMD using novel drug modalities. Get their thoughts on how you can accelerate the progression of your drug pipelines and build connections for potential collaborations to expand your dry AMD & GA R&D pipelines
3:00 pm Afternoon Networking Break
IMPLEMENTING NOVEL FUNCTIONAL ENDPOINTS TO OPTIMIZE CLINICAL TRIAL DESIGN & ACCELERATE APPROVALS IN DRY AMD
3:30 pm Designing Phase 1 Clinical Trials for Intermediate AMD & Establishing More Accurate, Objective Endpoints to Showcase Drug Efficacy at a Faster Rate
Synopsis
- Designing clinical trials for gene therapy countering inflammation caused by the complement system and utilizing novel protective biologics to counteract inflammation
- Utilizing retinal imaging and diagnostic tools to select appropriate patients at the intermediate AMD stage for earlier intervention
- Identifying novel regulatory-approved clinical trial endpoints for more efficient clinical trial execution