Curing Vision Loss From Diabetes

Welcome

To learn more: Symposium Program Book

• Martin G. Myers, Jr., MD, PhD । Director, Elizabeth Weiser Caswell Diabetes Institute, Michigan Medicine
• Shahzad I. Mian, MD । Chair, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan Medical Group 

Dr. S. Robert Levine’s Introduction and Announcement: Boehringer Ingelheim and MTM Vision Join Forces to Combat Vision Loss from Diabetes

• S. Robert Levine, MD । Founder and CEO, MTM Vision
• Marianne Laouri, PhD, Global Asset Lead, Retinal Health, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals

Patient Voice

Adriana Plevniak | MTM Vision Lay Advisor

“DRD has taken so much from me; it has felt like an unending series of challenges. While I recognize the many blessings in my life, including my wonderful son, the shadow of this disease often looms large, reminding me of my losses. I only find respite from what has happened to my eyes when I sleep. Injection days are super emotional for me, with my anxiety going through the roof. The therapies available now are barbaric. It is my dream to have the treatments available to patients less traumatic. I mean, who wants a needle in their eyes or a laser? When patients have their appointments, the fear doesn’t go away when they leave. It hangs over us like a dark cloud.” 

Translating Science to Clinical Care for Diabetic Retinal Disease

MTM Vision Update:  Jennifer Sun, MD, MPH । Co-Scientific Director, MTM Vision

Perspectives

• Aude Couturier, MD PhD। Professor of Ophthalmology, Paris Cité University; Deputy Head of the Ophthalmology Department, Lariboisière and Saint-Louis University Hospitals; Project leader EviRED (Evaluation Intelligente de la Rétinopathie Diabétique). Preliminary findings from EviRED natural history study. 
• Malvina Eydelman, MD। Director of the Office of Health Technology Ophthalmic, Anesthesia, Respiratory, ENT and Dental Devices, Office of Product Evaluation and Quality, Food and Drug Administration, Maryland, USA. Food and Drug Administration Regulation of Medical Products for DRD 

Panelists

• Michael Abramoff, MD, PhD। University of Iowa 
• Jason McAnany, PhD। University of Illinois College of Medicine 
• Sandy Puczynski, PhD । MTM Vision Lay Advisor 

Therapeutics Target Identification Through Human Tissue and Fluid ‘Omics

MTM Vision Update:  Patrice Fort, PhD । Director, MTM Vision Ocular Biorepository & Resource Center

Perspectives

• Roger Cone, PhD । Mary Sue Coleman Director & Research Professor; Vice Provost and Director, U-M Life Sciences Institute; Professor, Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, U-M Medical School; Professor, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, LSA. Process and resources for target identification and drug development.
• Przemyslaw (Mike) Sapieha, PhD । Founder & Chief Scientific Officer, SemaThera Inc. From target identification to drug development for ocular diseases.

Panelists

• Lloyd Paul Aiello, MD, PhD । Harvard Medical School
• Eric Ng, PhD | Eyebiotech Limited, a subsidiary of Merck & Co, Inc (Rahway, NJ)
• Subramaniam Pennathur, MD। University of Michigan
• Judy Hunt, MBA। MTM Vision Lay Advisor

 

Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Approaches to Diabetic Retinal Disease

MTM Vision Update: S. Robert Levine, MD । Founder and CEO, MTM Vision

Perspectives 

• Tien-en Tan, MBBS(Hons), MMed(Ophth), FRCOphth, FAMS । Clinical Assistant Professor, SingHealth Duke-NUS Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Academic Clinical Program. Multi-modal AI for enhanced diagnosis, risk stratification and prognostication in DRD.
• Brian VanderBeek, MD, MPH, MSCE । Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB)-MTM Vision Physician Scientist Award Winner; Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Pennsylvania. Use of real-world data for better understanding of DRD and population-level differences.

Panelists 

• Chris German, PhD। Chair, MTM Vision Lay Advisory Committee
• Kerry Goetz, PhD। National Eye Institute
• Tunde Peto, MD, PhD। Queens University Belfast

Hot Topics

Facilitator: Chris German, PhD । Chair, MTM Vision Lay Advisory Committee

Perspectives

• Awareness Crisis in DRD: Paolo Silva, MD। Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School:
• Gait Assessment in the Evaluation of Functional Vision: Amanda Bicket, MD । Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan
• Developing a Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) for DRD – Creating tools to capture patient voices: Fernanda (Maria) Abalem, MD, MSC, PhD । Faculty, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
• Vitreous analysis for clinical assessment, staging, and patient selection for clinical trials: Jeffrey M. Sundstrom, MD, PhD । Associate Professor, Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Neural and Behavioral Science, and Ophthalmology, Penn State University

 

Future Directions: Restoring Vision in DRD: Lessons from the Inherited Retinal Diseases (IRD) Field

Moderator: Mark Pennesi, MD, PhD। Professor of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University; Director, Ophthalmic Genetics at the Retina Foundation

Perspectives 

• Rebecca Pfeiffer, PhD । Research Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology & Visual Science, John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah: Pathoconnectomics: Rewiring in Retinitis Pigmentosa.
• Rachel Huckfeldt, MD, PhD । Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Fellowship Director, Inherited Retinal Degenerations Fellowship, Mass Eye & Ear: How has the consortium helped the field of IRDs and the importance to discovery of natural history studies which incorporate functional markers and endpoints.

Panelists 

• James Weiland, PhD । University of Michigan
• Adriana Plevniak । MTM Vision Lay Advisor

Dr. and Lady Glaucomflecken

Will Flanary, MD and Kristin Flanary, MA – aka “Dr. Glaucomflecken” and “Lady Glaucomflecken.”

Will and Kristin Flanary share how their medical experiences led to the creation of their personas as Dr and Lady Glaucomflecken and their resulting advocacy work in eye health and co-survivorship, blending humor and education to raise awareness and promote change.

 

MTM Vision Consortium | Boehringer Ingelheim Collaboration   

• Shelby Unsworth, PhD । Associate Director, Business Development, Michigan Medicine
• Marianne Laouri, PhD । Global Asset Lead, Retinal Health, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals

MTM Vision Communications, Collaborations and Fund Development

Moderator: Eric Carlson । Founder, The Carlson Company, Social Impact & Media, Award Winning Documentary and Film Producer: Public outreach, media relations, and fund development  

Panelists

• Betsy Cote। Joslin Diabetes Center
• Chris Shoemaker । University of Michigan
• Maurine Slutzky । Stand Up to Cancer
• Sandy Puczynski, PhD । MTM Vision Lay Advisor

 

Summations

• Lloyd Paul Aiello MD, PhD । Professor of Ophthalmology, Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School
• S. Robert Levine, MD । Founder and CEO, MTM Vision Initiative