José-Alain Sahel, MD, to Deliver Keynote at Association for Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics Biennial Scientific Meeting
August 9, 2023
José-Alain Sahel, MD, chair of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Ophthalmology and director of the UPMC Vision Institute, will deliver the keynote presentation Gene-independent Strategies in Retinal Degenerations at the Association for Ocular Pharmacology & Therapeutics (AOPT) 16th Biennial Scientific Meeting in Indianapolis on Sunday, Aug. 13.
As one of the world’s top experts in retinal diseases and vision restoration research, Dr. Sahel has developed several interventions — including stem cell implantation, gene therapy, innovative pharmacologic approaches, optogenetics, and the artificial retina — for retinitis pigmentosa, age-related macular degeneration, vascular eye disease, and other vision impairments that currently are untreatable. Over the past decade, he has led pioneering efforts in optogenetic vision restoration, a technique in which cells in the retina are genetically modified to express light sensitive proteins. This therapeutic technique has the potential to help patients who are blind or visually impaired because of a genetic defect.
AOPT is an international nonprofit organization that supports the publication, dissemination, and exchange of information and knowledge on the treatment of eye diseases and promotes the advancement of research and scientific progress in the fields of basic and clinical ocular pharmacology and therapeutics, pharmacokinetics and dynamics, metabolism, translational research, safety, drug delivery, and pharmaceutics.
