Philadelphia’s leading ophthalmic research centers gathered in March for a new meeting intended to strengthen collaboration in glaucoma science, a field increasingly focused on neuroprotection, regeneration, imaging, and earlier intervention.
The inaugural All Philadelphia Glaucoma Research Retreat, organized by Wills Eye Hospital and hosted at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, brought together investigators from Wills Eye, Scheie Eye Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Temple University, and Drexel University for a 2-day program of presentations, posters, and roundtable discussions.
The meeting’s themes reflected the field’s growing emphasis on mechanisms of optic nerve injury and repair, with particular attention to neurodegeneration, neuroprotection, and neuroregeneration. Investigators also discussed efforts to improve structural and functional assessment of the optic nerve and retinal ganglion cells, including advances in imaging biomarkers and quantitative analysis to better track disease progression and therapeutic response. Emerging approaches such as gene-based therapies, cellular targets for neuroenhancement, and strategies to preserve ganglion cell viability were also highlighted as areas of active investigation.
“This retreat highlights the extraordinary depth of glaucoma research taking place across Philadelphia,” said Joel S. Schuman, MD, FACS, vice chair for research innovation at Wills Eye. He said the goal was to identify areas of synergy that could accelerate discoveries for patients with glaucoma.
The program was facilitated by C. Ross Ethier, PhD, and included a keynote address from Adriana Di Polo, PhD, whose work has examined neuroprotection and neuroregeneration in neurodegenerative disease. Poster sessions highlighted contributions from trainees and early-career investigators. Topics ranged from mechanisms of optic nerve injury and neuronal survival to diagnostic technologies and new treatment approaches, including gene-based strategies.
Ahmara G. Ross, MD, PhD, of Scheie Eye Institute said meetings that connect laboratories across institutions can reveal links between research programs that might otherwise remain separate. She described such “team science” models as increasingly important to therapeutic development.
The second day focused on collaborative planning around neuroprotection, neuroregeneration, and neuroenhancement—areas of interest as glaucoma investigators seek treatments that go beyond lowering intraocular pressure. The retreat underscored how future progress may depend not only on individual discoveries but also on coordinated networks able to validate biomarkers, scale trials, and translate experimental therapies into practice. GP
