Who We Are

Macula Vision Research Foundation Scientific Conferences

In November, 1997, Karen and Herbert Lotman invited a group of preeminent scientists to meet in Florida. The foremost retina experts from various backgrounds — surgeons, pathologists, geneticists, and neuroscientists dedicated to macula generation research — conferred in an interactive seminar format. This broad range of expertise was one of the reasons this meetings was unusually successful.

Conferences then took place in March 1999, November 2000, March 2002, October 2003, May 2005 and September 2007. The most recent conference was held in February 2008. These meetings continue to bring together retina experts and basic scientists from the fields of molecular biology, physiology, pathology and cell biology to address molecular mechanisms of macular degeneration and potential treatments.

There is a core group of elite vision scientists who participate as well as persons from outside the field who are invited so that an interface and new information can be created and delivered to stimulate the field. We have learned that these collaborative meetings are of enormous importance to the researchers. The Macular Vision Research Foundation seminars have proven to be very fruitful.

The 8th Macula Vision Research Foundation Conference took place in Coconut Grove, Florida on Feb 7-10, 2008. Basic and clinical scientists from around the world will meet to discuss and evaluate recent advancements in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and related retinal diseases that are a major cause of blindness in the world. This meeting will enable vision researchers to initiate new research interactions and collaborations on the causes and treatments for AMD. The 2008 MVRF conference will focus on the following research areas: Clinical Assessment and Genetics of AMD; Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms Underlying AMD and Other Retinal Degenerative Diseases; and Therapeutic Approaches for Retinal Degenerative Diseases. In addition there will be a session devoted to Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Approaches for Parkinson’s disease. Like AMD, Parkinson’s is a complex neurodegenerative disorder involving both genetic and environmental factors. Affected individuals experience tremors, loss in voluntary movements, and in some cases cognitive dysfunction due to loss in neural cell function. Information about the molecular mechanisms responsible for neuronal cell death and an update on emerging therapies for Parkinson’s disease will aid vision scientists to better understanding the causes of photoreceptor cell death in AMD and develop preventative measures and novel treatments that will slow or eliminate vision loss in affected individuals.

Participating Scientists

Thomas M. Aaberg, M.D.
Department of Ophthalmology
Emory Eye Center
Atlanta, GA
Attendee: 1997 1999

Robin Ali, Ph.D.
Institute of Ophthalmology/UCL
London
Attendee: 2008

Rando L. Allikmets, Ph.D.
Department of Ophthalmology
Columbia University
Attendee: 2006

Jayakrishna Ambati, M.D.
Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
University of Kentucky
Attendee: 2006

Bela Anand-Apte, M.D.
Cole Eye Institute
Cleveland, OH
Attendee: 2005

John P. Atkinson, M.D.
Department of Internal Medicine
Washington University School of Medicine
Attendee: 2006

Brian J. Balin, Ph.D.
Center for the Study of Chronic Diseases of Aging
College of Osteopathic Medicine
Attendee: 2006

Robert Barlow, Ph.D.
Center for Vision Research
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Attendee: 2005

Colin J. Barnstable, D. Phil.
Dept. of Ophth. & Visual Science
Yale University School of Medicine
Attendee: 1997 1999 2000 2002 2003 2006 2008

Jean Bennett, M.D., Ph.D.
Scheie Eye Institute
University of Pennsylvania
Attendee: 2003

Alan C. Bird, M.D.
Institute of Ophthalmology
London, England
Attendee: 1997 1999 2000 2002 2003 2005

Seth Blackshaw, Ph.D.
Department of Genetics
Harvard Medical School
Attendee: 2002

Dean Bok, Ph.D.
Jules Stein Eye Institute
University of California
Attendee: 2000 2002 2003 2005 2006 2008

Nalini S. Bora, Ph.D.
Pat & Willard Walker Eye Research Center
Jones Eye Institute
Attendee: 2006

Catherine Bowes Rickman, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology and Cell Biology
Duke University Medical Center
Attendee: 2008

Neil M. Bressler, M.D.
Wilmer Eye Institute
Johns Hopkins Medical School
Attendee: 1999

Susan B. Bressler, M.D.
Wilmer Eye Institute
Johns Hopkins Medical School
Attendee: 1999

Alexander J. Brucker, M.D.
Scheie Eye Institute
University of Pennsylvania
Attendee: 2003

Peter A. Campochiaro, M.D.
Department of Opthalmology
John Hopkins Medical School
Attendee: 2003 2005 2006

Marie-Francoise Chesselet, M.D., Ph.D.
Charles H. Markham Professor of Neurology
UCLA
Attendee: 2008

Christine A. Curcio, Ph.D.
Department of Ophthalmology
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Attendee: 1999 2000 2005

Eugene de Juan, M.D.
The Retina Institute
Doheny Eye Institute
Los Angeles, CA
Attendee: 1999 2000

Bruce Demple, Ph.D.
Harvard School of Public Health
Attendee: 2000

Victor Elner M.D., Ph.D.
Dept. of Ophthalmology
University of Michigan
Attendee: 2000

Howard J. Federoff, M.D., Ph.D.
Executive Vice President and Executive Dean
Georgetown University Medical Center
Attendee: 2008

Toren Finkel M.D., Ph. D.
NIH Cardiology Branch
Bethesda, MD
Attendee: 2000

Aron Fisher, M.D.
The Institute for Environmental Medicine
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Attendee: 2000

Steven K. Fisher, Ph.D.
Neuroscience Research Institute
University of CA Santa Barbara
Attendee: 1997 1999 2008

Martin Friedlander, M.D.
Scripps Research Institute
La Jolla, CA
Attendee: 2005

Alan Garen, Ph.D.
Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry Dept.
Yale University
Attendee: 2003

Michael B. Gorin, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Ophthalmology
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Attendee: 2003 2006

Prof. John Greenwood, Ph.D., FRCPath
Institute of Ophthalmology
University College London
Attendee: 2008

Hans E. Grossniklaus, M.D.
Emory Eye Center
Atlanta, GA
Attendee: 1997 1999 2000 2002

Gregory S. Hageman, Ph.D.
Dept. of Ophthalmology
University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics
Attendee: 1997 1999 2000 2005

William W. Hauswirth, Ph.D.
Department of Ophthalmology
University of Florida College of Medicine
Attendee: 1999 2000 2002 2003 2005 2006 2008

Anita Hendrickson, Ph.D.
Biological Structure
University of Washington
Attendee: 1997

Josephine Hoh , Ph.D.
Division of Chronic Disease Epidemiology
Yale School of Public Health
Attendee: 2006

Joe G. Hollyfield, Ph.D.
Cole Eye Institute
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Attendee: 2002 2003

Samuel Jacobson, M.D., Ph.D.
Scheie Eye Institute
University of Pennsylvania
Attendee: 1997 2000 2002 2003 2005 2006 2008

Lincoln Johnson, Ph.D.
Neuroscience Research Institute
University of California Santa Barbara
Attendee: 2006

Valerian Kagan, Ph.D./D.Sc.
Center for Environmental and Occupational Health
University of Pittsburgh
Attendee: 2000

Nicholas Katsanis, Ph.D.
McKusick Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine
Johns Hopkins Univ. School of Medicine
Attendee: 2008

Ronald Klein, M.D., Ph.D.
Dept. of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Univeristy of Wisconsin Medical School
Attendee: 1997

Matthew M. LaVail, Ph.D.
Beckman Vision Center
UCSF School of Medicine
Attendee: 1999 2000 2002 2003 2005 2006 2008

Tiansen Li, Ph.D.
Department of Ophthalmology
Harvard Medical School
Attendee: 2006

Raymond D. Lund, Ph.D.
Moran Eye Center
University of Utah Health Science Center
Attendee: 1997 2002

Alan D. Marmorstein, Ph.D.
Department of Ophthalmology
University of Arizona
Attendee: 2008

Roderick R. McInnes, M.D., Ph.D.
Program in Developmental Biology
The Hospital for Sick Children
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Attendee: 1997 1999 2000 2002 2005 2006 2008

Robert Mecham, Ph.D.
Washington University School of Medicine
St. Louis, MO
Attendee: 2005

Robert S. Molday, Ph.D.
Biochemistry/Molecular Biology
University of British Columbia
Attendee: 1997 1999 2000 2002 2003 2005 2006 2008

Nicholas Muzyczka, Ph.D.
Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
University of Florida College of Medicine
Attendee: 2008

Patsy Nishina, Ph.D.
The Jackson Laboratory
Bar Harbor, ME
Attendee: 1999 2000 2002

William C. Parks, Ph.D.
Harborview R&T
Seattle, WA
Attendee: 2005

Professor Stephen J. Perkins
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
University College London
Attendee: 2006

Donald Price, M.D.
Neuropathology
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Attendee: 2002

Dennis W. Schultz, Ph.D.
Casey Eye Institute
Oregon Health Sciences
Attendee: 2003

Johanna Seddon, M.D.
Ophthalmology/Epidemiology
Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary
Attendee: 2006

Richard L. Sidman, M.D.
Bullard Professor of Neuropathology (Neuroscience), Emeritus
Harvard Institutes of Medicine
Attendee: 2008

Paul A. Sieving, M.D., Ph.D.
NEI/NIH
Bethesda, MD
Attendee: 2003 2008

Sangram Sisodia, Ph.D.
Center for Molecular Neurobiology
University of Chicago
Attendee: 2002

Janet Sparrow, Ph.D.
Columbia University Eye Institute
Attendee: 2008

Paul Sternberg, Jr., M.D.
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Attendee: 1997

Edwin M. Stone, M.D., Ph.D.
Dept. of Ophthalmology
Univeristy of Iowa Hospitals & Cliinics
Attendee: 1997 1999 2000 2002 2003 2005 2006 2008

Anand Swaroop, Ph.D.
W. K. Kellogg Eye Center
University of Michigan Medical School
Attendee: 2000 2002 2003

Rudolph Tanzi, Ph.D.
Genetics and Aging Unit
Harvard Medical School
Attendee: 2002

Matthew A. Thomas, M.D.
Barnes Retina Institute
Washington University in St. Louis
Attendee: 1997 1999 2000 2002

Joyce Tombran-Tink, Ph.D.
Division of Pharmeceutical Sciences
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Attendee: 2003

Gabriel J. Travis, M.D.
Jules Stein Eye Institute
UCLA School of Medicine
Attendee: 2000 2002 2003

Steven Wagner, Ph.D.
Neurogenetics, Inc.
La Jolla, CA
Attendee: 2002

Bernhard H F Weber, Ph.D.
Institute of Human Genetics
Wuerzburg, Germany
Attendee: 1999 2002 2008

Prof. Alan Wright
Cell and Molecular Genetics Section
Western General Hospital
Edinburgh, Scotland
Attendee: 2005

Hiromi Yanagisawa, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Molecular Biology
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Attendee: 2005

Donald J. Zack, M.D., Ph.D.
Dept. of Opthalmology
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Attendee: 2002

Prof. Dr. Med. Eberhart Zrenner
Department for Pathophysiology of Vision and Neuro-Ophthalmology
University Eye Hospital of Tübingen
Attendee: 2006

What Conference Attendees Say About the MVRF Conferences

...I think the MVRF meeting was far and away the best, most productive scientific meeting I have ever attended. The focus was strong but not overly narrow, the scientific presentations were uniformly excellent, and the opportunities to interact with the other attendees socially in a relaxed atmosphere were unparalleled. I benefited on multiple levels, but was perhaps most encouraged to see how many of the more senior scientists in the room are seeing their decades of work realized in therapeutic trials.
Alan D. Marmorstein, Ph. D.
Associate Professor
Dept. Ophthalmology and Vision Science
University of Arizona
Medical Neuroscience

...I wish all scientific meetings were so informative and conducive to new ideas as this was. My deepest gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. Lotman for their generosity and philanthropy in sponsoring such a wonderful workshop.
Professor John Greenwood PhD FRCPath
Head of Division
Division of Cellular Therapy
Institute of Ophthalmology
University College London

...I want to thank you for the delightful and most productive MVRF Conference in Miami. The research presented by the retinal group was outstanding.
Matthew M. LaVail, Ph.D., Director
Kearn Famly Research Center, for the Study of Retinal Degenerations
Beckman Vision Cetner
University of California, San Francisco

...the scientific interchange was exhilarating. I have come away with some specific research ideas and approaches about which I am very excited. Thank you for making progress in this frustrating field possible.
Matthew A. Thomas, M.D.
Barnes Retina Institute
St. Louis, Missouri

...I can't think of another instance where attending a scientific conference has had an immediate impact on my research plans. The value of the meetings sponsored by your Foundation, with their small size and specific focus on age-related macular degeneration, cannot be overestimated. It is a unique opportunity for basic scientists and clinicians to interact intensely on a specific topic, a luxury we rarely experience.
Steven Fisher, Ph.D.
Neuroscience Research Institute
U CA Santa Barbara

It was especially good for me to hear about the clinical aspects of the disease and the problems that physicians face. I learned a lot and came away with ideas about how I could improve the work that I was doing. If part of your intention for the meeting was to incite excitement and forward movement, you've helped to light a fire here.
Patsy Nishina, Ph.D.
The Jackson Laboratory
Bar Harbor, Maine

...I thought the meeting was highly constructive. We have already initiated two small co-operative projects with others at the meeting.
Alan C. Bird, M.D.
Moorfields Eye Hospital
London

It is always a pleasure to come together with colleagues who are concentrating their efforts toward making a difference in the lives of patients, friends and family members who suffer from macular degeneration. The networking and informal interaction that took place is extremely valuable to all of our research programs.
Gregory H. Hageman, Ph.D.
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics