Euretina Innovation Spotlight (EIS)
Wednesday 30 September 2026 VIECON - Vienna Congress & Convention Center, Vienna
EIS 2026 Programme Outline
The EIS Programme will take place in Room 1/Hall A.
12:00 – 13:00
Registration & Networking
13:00 – 13:05
Opening
Nicole Eter, MD & Kourous Rezaei, MD
13:06 – 13:30
Non-Neovascular AMD
Kourous Rezaei, MD & Frank Holz, MD
13:06
Laura Kovanda, PhD, Astellas Pharma Inc.
The Promise and Challenges of Regenerative Medicine: Clinical Development of Cell and Gene Therapies
13:12
Daniel Jones, PhD, Biogen
Biogen: Continuing the Apellis Commitment to Innovation in Retina
13:16
Panel Discussion / Q&A
Moderators: Kourous Rezaei, MD & Frank Holz, MD
Laura Kovanda, PhD, Astellas Pharma Inc.
Luis Lesmes, PhD, Adaptive Sensory Technology
Usha Chakravarthy, MD, PhD
Sandrine Zweifel, MD
13:32 – 14:26
VEGF Related Retinal Indications
Moderators: Anat Loewenstein, MD, MHA & Francesco Bandello, MD
13:32
Amber Lewis, PharmD, PSM, AbbVie
Exploring the Potential of Gene Therapy in Neovascular AMD
13:38
Erin C. Henry, PhD, MSD Eye Bio
MSD in Ophthalmology
13:49
Nancy M. Holekamp, MD, Roche
Realizing the Promise of Port Delivery Platform: Innovation to Implementation
13:55
Sergio Leal, MD, Bayer
Future Focus: Bayer's Vision in Ophthalmology
14:01
Tomas Navratil, PhD, Glaukos Corporation
Advancing a New Frontier in Retina: Glaukos' Emerging Pipeline and Strategic Vision
14:07
Panel Discussion / Q&A
Moderators: Anat Loewenstein, MD, MHA & Francesco Bandello, MD
Amber Lewis, PharmD, PSM, AbbVie
Nancy M. Holekamp, MD, Roche
Sergio Leal, MD, Bayer
Tomas Navratil, PhD, Glaukos Corporation
Erin C. Henry, PhD, MSD EyeBio
Sobha Sivaprasad,DM
14:28 – 15:06
Inherited and Rare Retinal Diseases
Moderators: Bart Leroy, MD, PhD & Caroline Klaver, MD, PhD
14:28
Hendrik P.N. Scholl, MD, Belite Bio
Belite Bio Company Overview
14:34
Abhi Gupta, MBA, Ocugen
Ocugen Company Overview
14:38
Ben Yerxa, PhD, Opus Genetics
Advancing the Future of IRDs: Opus Genetics Clinical Development Update
14:42
Paul Bresge, BA, Ray Therapeutics
Development of Bioengineered Intravitreal Optogenetic Gene Therapies for Vision Restoration in Retinal Degenerative Diseases
14:48
Carlos Quezada-Ruiz, MD, Alkeus
Harnessing Breakthrough Science to Transform Care for Patients with Retinal Diseases
14:52
Panel Discussion / Q&A
Moderators: Bart Leroy MD, PhD & Caroline Klaver, MD, PhD
Hendrik P.N. Scholl, MD, Belite Bio
Paul Bresge, BA, Ray Therapeutics
Kenji Fujita, MD, Atsena Therapeutics
Robert MacLaren, MB, ChB
15:03
Guest Speaker
Introduction: Kourous Rezaei, MD
15:08 – 15:31
Keynote Lecture by Jane Moseley
Moderators: Nicole Eter, MD, Kourous Rezaei, MD & Ulrich Granzer, PhD
15:08
AI - an EU Regulators Perspective
Jane Moseley, EMA
Keynote Lecture
15:16
Panel Discussion / Q&A
Moderators: Nicole Eter, MD, Kourous Rezaei, MD & Ulrich Granzer, PhD
15:33 – 15:50
Investor Panel
Moderators: Kourous Rezaei, MD & Martin Zinkernagel, MD, PhD
Elisa Petris, PhD, Syncona
Roger Zhang, PhD, TCGX Asia
Anta Gkelou, PhD, Sofinnova Partners
Babak Nemati, PhD, Strategic Intelligence, Inc.
15:51 – 16:19
Posters & Networking
16:20 – 16:59
VEGF Related and Other Retinal Indications
Moderators: Nicole Eter, MD & Paolo Lanzetta, MD
16:20
Horia Ijacu, MD, AbbVie
Preserving Vision through Collaboration
16:26
Peter K. Kaiser, MD, Ocular Therapeutix
Ocular Therapeutix: Redefining the Retina Experience
16:30
Orestis Briasoulis, MD, Oculis
Oculis’ Late-stage Breakthrough Innovation in Neuro-Ophthalmology
16:34
Patrick Bussfeld, MD, Boehringer Ingelheim
Exploring new frontiers in Ophthalmology
16:40
Star Seyedkazemi, PharmD, Adverum Biotechnologies, Inc.
Advancing Gene Therapy in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Ixo-vec Program Update
16:44
Panel Discussion / Q&A
Moderators: Nicole Eter, MD & Paolo Lanzetta, MD
Horia Ijacu, MD, AbbVie
Patrick Bussfeld, MD, Boehringer Ingelheim
David Kirn, MD, 4DMT
Adnan Tufail, MBBS, MD
17:01 – 17:28
Innovations in Retinal Surgery and Imaging
Moderator: Patricia Udaondo, MD, PhD & Jens Folke Kiilgaard, MD, PhD
17:01
Dominik Beck, PhD, ZEISS Medical Technology
Advancing retinal care in imaging and surgery
17:05
Stéphanie Magazzeni, MD, Heidelberg Engineering
From the Clinic to The OR: The Digital Transformation of Retina
17:09
Brad Doerschuk,BA, InFocus Clinical Research
The Retina Trial Bottleneck: Clinical Study Saturation and Site Scarcity
17:13
Virginia Mares, MD, PhD, RetInSight
From AI-Enabled Biomarker Analysis to the Next Generation of Clinical Trials
17:17
Panel Discussion / Q&A
Moderators: Patricia Udaondo, MD, PhD, Jens Folke Kiilgaard, MD, PhD
Roberto Pineda, MBA, Alcon
Francesco Boscia, MD
Daniel Ting, MD
17:30 – 18:09
Rapid Fire Presentations by Emerging Companies
Moderators: Martin Zinkernagel, MD, PhD & Arshad Khanani, MD, MA
Tunde Peto, MD, PhD
Jordi Monés, MD, PhD
17:30
Kamilla Rolsted, PD, Eygo Bio
Eygo Bio: A Novel Neuroprotective Approach to Geographic Atrophy
17:33
Q&A
17:35
Rodolphe Clerval, MSc, Coave Therapeutics
Unlocking Scalable Retina Gene Therapy Through a Delivery-first Strategy
17:38
Q&A
17:40
Andrea Giani, PhD, MgShell Srl
Improving Real-World Outcomes in Retinal Diseases Through a Novel Intravitreal Bioresorbable Sustained-Release Implant
17:43
Q&A
17:45
Matthew Simunovic, MD, PhD, Retinal Repair International Pty Ltd
A Light-Activated Retinal Adhesive Platform for Retinal Detachment Repair: From Preclinical Validation to Clinical Translation
17:48
Q&A
17:50
Jan Tode, MD, OD-OS MacuTherm
MacuTherm® – Transforming Dry AMD Care: Halting Progression of AMD Already at Early Stages by Photothermal Stimulation
17:53
Q&A
17:55
John VeLure, i-Lumen Scientific, Inc.
The i-Lumen AMD System - A Novel, Non-Invasive Bioelectric Stimulation Improving Vision for Those With Intermediate to Advanced Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration
17:58
Q&A
18:00
David Almeida, MD, PhD, CASExAI Precision Medicine LLC
SurgVectorAI: The Digital Cockpit for Quantitative Retinal Gene Therapy Dosing
18:03
Q&A
18:05
Alistair Laidlaw, MD, COMPlog Clinical Vision Measurement Systems Ltd (in collaboration with ToukanLabs Ltd)
COMPlog: Precise and Reliable Clinical Vision Measurement For The Digital Era. So Much More Than An Acuity Chart.
18:08
Q&A
18:10
Closing Remarks
Nicole Eter, MD, Kourous Rezaei, MD
18:14
Posters & Networking