Explore the Agenda
8:00 am Check-In, Coffee, & Light Breakfast
Workshop Track 1: Stabilization & Sustained Release Strategies for Biologics & Peptides
Workshop A
9:00 am Extending the Life of Biologics: Formulation Strategies & Preclinical Challenges of Developing Long-Acting Drug Delivery Systems
As ophthalmology advances toward longer dosing intervals, extending the half-life of biologics has become essential to reducing treatment burden and improving patient outcomes. This workshop will explore historic lessons and current innovations in developing long-acting delivery systems, focusing on formulation strategies and preclinical considerations that shape successful translation. Participants will gain insight into stability optimization, depot design, and the regulatory mindset required to bring next-generation biologic delivery platforms to market.
Key Topics to be Explored:
- Review current challenges in biologic delivery, including molecular instability, aggregation, and degradation in ocular environments
- Analyze why limited progress has been made in developing long-acting delivery systems in ophthalmology
- Evaluate formulation opportunities for ocular biologics – including particles, implants, depots, and bioresponsive systems – and discuss their respective limitations in terms of stability, release control, and biocompatibility
- Discuss preclinical hurdles in sustained biologic delivery, including model selection and safety/efficacy evaluation Future gazing: a look into the next generation of delivery platforms
Workshop Track 2: Delivering Gene & Cell Therapies with Precision
Workshop B
9:00 am Gene Therapy Delivery Decoded: Surgical Routes, Vector Targeting, & Immune Mitigation in the Eye
Gene therapy is no longer just a treatment; it’s a delivery system. By delivering a gene instead of a protein, developers can enable continuous in-eye production of therapeutic proteins, potentially reducing injection burden for years. But this approach hinges on getting the right vector to the right cells, through the right route, with minimal immune response. This workshop will explore gene therapy as a delivery modality, comparing subretinal, intravitreal, and suprachoroidal approaches through the lens of real-world feasibility, safety, and vector precision.
Key Topics to be Explored:
- How does gene therapy function as sustained drug delivery, and what conditions require protein production inside specific retinal cells like rods and cones?
- Why does subretinal delivery remain the method of choice for precision targeting and what are the surgical trade-offs, including risk of retinal detachment?
- What’s the role of AAV serotype selection (e.g., AAV2 vs. AAV8) in targeting the correct retinal layers, and how does that impact safety and efficacy?
- How do intravitreal and suprachoroidal injections compare in terms of anatomical access, procedural simplicity, and delivery to deep retinal tissues?
- What strategies are being developed to mitigate immunogenicity, and how are vector surfaces being modified to reduce inflammation?
- Why is systematic vector testing still lacking, and how do current manufacturing challenges limit the scalability of gene therapy delivery systems in ophthalmology?
12:00 pm Lunch Break & Networking
Workshop C
1:00 pm Unpacking the Challenge: Delivering Peptides Without Compromising Bioactivity
Despite their therapeutic potential, peptides continue to present a complex puzzle when it comes to sustained delivery, especially within the constraints of the intravitreal and suprachoroidal spaces. This workshop will explore why sustained peptide delivery has remained elusive, and what formulation innovations, especially around suspension dynamics, molecular engineering, and modular platforms, may finally unlock success.
Key Topics to be Explored:
- Why peptide therapeutics have failed to achieve long term-delivery in the vitreous, and how new strategies are beginning to shift the paradigm
- Investigate how stabilizing peptides in suspension can mitigate degradation, reduce burst release, and improve duration without requiring encapsulation or PEGylation
- Modifying peptide structure or charge to enhance targeting and penetration without compromising bioactivity
- Discuss emerging modular formulation systems that allow developers to tailor peptide delivery to the needs of specific compounds, accelerating translation from discovery to clinic
Workshop D
1:00 pm Advancing Cell Therapy for Vision: Overcoming Delivery, Viability, & Immune Barriers
Despite promising results in preclinical models, cell therapies for ocular disease continue to face critical translational challenges from low post-injection viability and cell migration to structural disorganization and immune rejection. This workshop will examine how delivery innovations like hydrogel encapsulation, patient-specific sourcing, and immunomodulatory strategies are reshaping the future of retinal cell therapy.
Key Topics to be Explored:
- Why do injected cells fail to stay in place, and how can light-activated hydrogels improve structural outcomes post-delivery?
- How does spatial organization influence the therapeutic function of cells, and what preclinical evidence supports this correlation?
- What are the trade-offs between using autologous cells versus universal or “blank” cells to avoid immunogenicity and streamline manufacturing?
- How can we mitigate immune responses without fully suppressing efficacy, what does “partial acceptance” mean in real-world cell delivery?
- What are the next steps needed to move structurally stable, viable cell therapies into clinical trials for degenerative retinal diseases?