Reversing the Ravages of Time, Disease, and Trauma to the Cornea and Ocular Surface

February 16 - 21, 2025

Chairs

and

Vice Chairs

and

Four Points Sheraton / Holiday Inn Express

1050 Schooner Drive

Ventura, California, United States

Venue and Travel Information

Conference Description

The Cornea and Ocular Surface Biology, Pathology and Regeneration GRC is a premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The conference program includes an array of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference is five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference has designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allow for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field.

Conference Program

Sunday
2:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Introductory Comments by GRC Staff / Welcome and Introduction from the Chairs
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm	Keynote Session: Cellular Homeostasis and Repair Discussion Leaders: and
7:40 pm - 7:45 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:45 pm - 8:25 pm	"Extracellular Vesicles and Cellular Homeostasis"
8:25 pm - 8:35 pm	Discussion
8:35 pm - 8:45 pm	"Digital Light Bioprinting of a 3D Corneal-Limbal Niche Model"
8:45 pm - 8:50 pm	Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:00 pm	"Development and Optimization of an Ophthalmic Hydrogel to Promote Corneal Wound Healing"
9:00 pm - 9:05 pm	Discussion
9:05 pm - 9:15 pm	"Long-Acting Nanomedicine for Effective Treatment of Corneal Diseases"
9:15 pm - 9:20 pm	Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Group Photo
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Cornea and Ocular Surface Wound Repair Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:05 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:25 am	"Corneal Wound Healing and What We Can Learn From the Reindeer Story"
9:25 am - 9:35 am	Discussion
9:35 am - 9:55 am	"Eat or Be Eaten: A New Role for Mesenchymal Stromal and Stem Cells in Disease and Repair"
9:55 am - 10:05 am	Discussion
10:05 am - 10:15 am	"Wnt-5b Mediates Wound Healing and Stem Cell Phenotype in Diabetic Human Corneas"
10:15 am - 10:20 am	Discussion
10:20 am - 10:30 am	"Microcurrent Electrical Stimulation Promotes Axons Growth in Trigeminal Ganglia Neurons and Restore Corneal Nerve Density in Diabetic Keratopathy"
10:30 am - 10:35 am	Discussion
10:35 am - 11:05 am	Coffee Break
11:05 am - 11:25 am	"Tenascin X Function in Corneal Tissue Morphogenesis and Response to Injury"
11:25 am - 11:35 am	Discussion
11:35 am - 11:55 am	"Biological Characteristics of Cultured Human Corneal Endothelial Cells for Cell Injection Therapy"
11:55 am - 12:05 pm	Discussion
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm	"Clinical-Grade Corneal ECM Hydrogel: A Biomaterial-Based Strategy for Scar Prevention"
12:15 pm - 12:20 pm	Discussion
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm	Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Genomics and Gene Regulation Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:35 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:35 pm - 7:55 pm	"Eyes Open on Limbal Epithelial Stem Cell Populations and Their Regeneration"
7:55 pm - 8:05 pm	Discussion
8:05 pm - 8:15 pm	"The Role of Genetic and Environmental Factors in Establishing Mouse Models for Keratoconus"
8:15 pm - 8:20 pm	Discussion
8:20 pm - 8:40 pm	"Limbal Epithelial Stem Cell Homeostasis Is Preserved, in Part, via the Novel IFITM1/OVO1 Regulatory Pathway"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm	Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:10 pm	"The Molecular Composition of Tear Fluid and Its Potential for Personalized Medicine"
9:10 pm - 9:20 pm	Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Cellular Interactions, the Extracellular Matrix, and Morphogenesis Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:05 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:25 am	"Mitochondrial Transfer Between Corneal Epithelial Cells and Sensory Axons In Vitro and In Vivo"
9:25 am - 9:35 am	Discussion
9:35 am - 9:55 am	"Decoding Primary Cilia-Mediated Signaling in Anterior Segment Development and Diseases"
9:55 am - 10:05 am	Discussion
10:05 am - 10:15 am	"Does Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition Occur During Lacrimal and Salivary Gland Regeneration or Aging?"
10:15 am - 10:20 am	Discussion
10:20 am - 10:30 am	"Single-Cell Transcriptomic Analysis of Corneal Organoids During Development"
10:30 am - 10:35 am	Discussion
10:35 am - 11:05 am	Coffee Break
11:05 am - 11:25 am	"Matrix Metalloproteinases and Corneal Wound Repair: Roles Beyond Remodeling"
11:25 am - 11:35 am	Discussion
11:35 am - 11:55 am	"Pathobiology of Corneal Ectasia in Genetic Mouse Models"
11:55 am - 12:05 pm	Discussion
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm	"The Mechanics of Neural Crest Biology in Corneal Development and Ocular Wound Healing"
12:15 pm - 12:20 pm	Discussion
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm	Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Mechanisms of Ocular Surface Disease and Disorders Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:35 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:35 pm - 7:55 pm	"Corneal Epithelial Cell Therapy: Where Are We Heading Next?"
7:55 pm - 8:05 pm	Discussion
8:05 pm - 8:25 pm	"The Role of Hyaluronan in Age-Related Meibomian Gland Dysfunction"
8:25 pm - 8:35 pm	Discussion
8:35 pm - 8:45 pm	"Investigating T-Cell Specific Tolerance to a Cornea Neoantigen"
8:45 pm - 8:50 pm	Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:10 pm	"Tear Analysis: Minimally Invasive Metrics for Ocular Surface Disease"
9:10 pm - 9:20 pm	Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Stem Cells of the Ocular Surface Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:05 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:25 am	"Meibocyte Differentiation and the Role of PPAR-Gamma"
9:25 am - 9:35 am	Discussion
9:35 am - 9:55 am	"Understanding Ocular Surface Epithelial Cell Differentiation with Newly Identified Markers"
9:55 am - 10:05 am	Discussion
10:05 am - 10:15 am	"Foxc2 Is Required for Limbal Epithelial Stem Cell Function"
10:15 am - 10:20 am	Discussion
10:20 am - 10:50 am	Coffee Break
10:50 am - 11:00 am	"Using Small-Molecule Wnt Mimics to Enhance Corneal Epithelial Cell Regeneration"
11:00 am - 11:05 am	Discussion
11:05 am - 11:25 am	"Limbal Niche Cells-Derived Exosomes and Melanosomes: Potential Tools for Stem Cell-Based Ocular Surface Reconstruction"
11:25 am - 11:35 am	Discussion
11:35 am - 11:55 am	"Can We Develop Human Corneal Organoids for Cell Therapies and a Pre-Animal Model System?"
11:55 am - 12:05 pm	Discussion
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm	"Prediction of Cell States and Key Transcription Factors of the Human Cornea through Integrated Single-Cell Omics Analyses"
12:15 pm - 12:20 pm	Discussion
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm	Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Inflammation and Regeneration of the Ocular Surface Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:35 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:35 pm - 7:55 pm	"Corneal Lymphangiogenesis and Beyond"
7:55 pm - 8:05 pm	Discussion
8:05 pm - 8:25 pm	"Biophysical Regulation of Fibrotic versus Non-fibrotic Stromal Wound Healing and Regeneration"
8:25 pm - 8:35 pm	Discussion
8:35 pm - 8:45 pm	"Transcriptomic and Functional Analysis of Corneal Sensory Neurons Reveals Ccl2 as an Afferent-Expressed Modulator of Viral Response"
8:45 pm - 8:50 pm	Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:10 pm	"Profiling the Human Response to Corneal Infection"
9:10 pm - 9:20 pm	Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Business Meeting Nominations for the Next Vice Chair(s); Complete the GRC Evaluation Forms; Election of the Next Vice Chair(s)
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Sickness and Health of the Cornea and Ocular Surface Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:05 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:25 am	"Scarless Corneal Repair and Transparency Restoration in Rabbits via Targeted Sirt1 Gene Transfer"
9:25 am - 9:35 am	Discussion
9:35 am - 9:55 am	"The Influence of the Glycocalyx on Limbal Epithelial Cell Biology"
9:55 am - 10:05 am	Discussion
10:05 am - 10:15 am	"Single-Cell RNA-Seq Characterization of Corneal Stromal Wound Healing Events"
10:15 am - 10:20 am	Discussion
10:20 am - 10:30 am	"Antiaging Protein Klotho as a Potential Treatment for Dry Eye, Translation of Ocular Surface Research into Novel Therapies"
10:30 am - 10:35 am	Discussion
10:35 am - 11:05 am	Coffee Break
11:05 am - 11:25 am	"Manipulating Scar Formation After Injury"
11:25 am - 11:35 am	Discussion
11:35 am - 11:55 am	"Limbal and Keratocyte Dynamics in the Healthy and Injured Cornea"
11:55 am - 12:05 pm	Discussion
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm	"Corneal Trigeminal Nerve -Derived Extracellular Vesicles (TgV1-EVs) and their Impact on Corneal Epithelial Homeostasis and Repair"
12:15 pm - 12:20 pm	Discussion
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm	Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Translation of Ocular Surface Research into Novel Therapies Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:35 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:35 pm - 7:55 pm	"Candidate Tear Biomarkers to Improve Diagnosis of Ocular Sjogren’s Disease"
7:55 pm - 8:05 pm	Discussion
8:05 pm - 8:25 pm	"Targeting Programmed Cell Death Pathways for Treating Corneal Injury and Diseases"
8:25 pm - 8:35 pm	Discussion
8:35 pm - 8:45 pm	"The Role of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Alpha (PPARα) in Corneal Fibrosis"
8:45 pm - 8:50 pm	Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:10 pm	"Corneal Stromal Regeneration: Stem Cells, Hydrogels, and 3D Bioprinting"
9:10 pm - 9:20 pm	Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am	Departure

Contributors

Funding for this conference was made possible (in part) by 1R13EY037110-01 from the National Eye Institute. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention by trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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