2020 Cornea and Ocular Surface Biology and Pathology GRC/GRS

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Project Summary Vision depends on the integrity and functionality of ocular surface comprising cornea, conjunctiva, associated glands and tear film. Alteration of this integrated unit can result in visual impairment or blindness across the developed and developing world. Understanding the fundamentals of ocular surface homeostasis and disease together with innovative therapeutic developments is vital for the health of aging population and the economy. We seek support for a meeting of world leaders in vision research at the 2020 Gordon Research Conference on Cornea & Ocular Surface Biology & Pathology (GRC-COSBP), February 16-21 2020, the Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco, Lucca, Italy. Building on the success of previous GRC-COSBP we plan 9 scientific sessions on key paradigm shifting innovations in ocular surface biology and pathology. Sessions will comprise main 20-minute talks with 1-2 short talks invited from poster presentations and focused on young investigators to enable them to present their findings to the community. The session titles are: 1. Intrinsic microbiome and influences of microbiota from remote sites; 2. Exosomes in healthy and diseased ocular surface; 3. CRISPR/personalized medicine – therapeutic gene editing in corneal dystrophies; 4. Identification and generation of corneal stem cells and their use for transplantation; 5. Transcriptome and proteomics: corneal cell types and changes in disease; 6. Corneal neighbors affecting its function: conjunctiva, meibomian and lacrimal glands; 7. From discovery to clinic: drug testing and regulatory issues; 8. Advances in ocular surface drug delivery: viruses vs. nanoconstructs; and 9. Inflammation and immunity in ocular surface diseases. Early career scientists paired with established researchers will co-moderate the sessions. We are inviting a diverse, gender-balanced selection of 36 speakers focusing their talks on their unpublished data. Speakers include junior scientists and some outside of the vision field whose important studies have parallels and application to eye research. The inclusion of speakers outside of the eye field will foster discussions and collaborative opportunities across disciplines and between young investigators and leaders in the field. We request that speakers stay for the GRC duration. We will also hold 4th two-day Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) for graduate students and postdocs working in the ocular surface field immediately before GRC-COSBP. GRS facilitates interactions and opportunities for early career scientists to present data in a relaxed atmosphere and gain experience in conference organization and chairing sessions. Previous GRS participants have continued active participation in the GRC and we fully expect this to be the case in 2020. 2020 GRS and GRC-COSBP will continue the tradition of supporting future field leaders to interact with each other at the GRS and with established scientists at the GRC. The formed relationships are likely to last and be productive for many years. We encourage underrepresented minorities to attend GRC and GRS through GRC scholarships. We will keep the community aware of this GRC and program updates via social media. NEI support will greatly ensure the program quality and the ultimate success of the 2020 GRC-COSBP.