Corneal Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering.
The New Frontiers in Ophthalmology Meeting took place on Thursday 27th June 2013 in the Education & Conference Centre at the Royal Victoria Eye & Ear Hospital.
The morning of the meeting was devoted to a symposium on corneal stem cell and tissue engineering. The use of cell-based therapies in the management of ocular surface and corneal disorders is a new and rapidly evolving field with many potential disease applications. In this symposium the advances in the development of such therapies to restore the epithelial and endothelial corneal surfaces and the potential to transfer of these developments to the clinical setting were discussed.
Speakers included:
- Prof Conor Murphy (Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital)
- Mr Billy Power (Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital)
- Dr Clair Gallagher (National Institute of Cellular Biotechnology, Dublin City University)
- Dr Finbarr O’Sullivan (National Institute of Cellular Biotechnology, Dublin City University)
- Prof Fergal O’Brien (Tissue Engineering Research Group, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland)
- Dr Andrew Cameron (Tissue Engineering Research Group, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland)
- Dr Kevin Kavanagh (NUI Maynooth)
- Sinead Masterson (Irish Medicines Board)
PROGRAMME
09.00 – 9.20 Registration/ tea and coffee
09.20 – 9.30 Welcome and introduction by Chair
Professor Conor Murphy, Professor of Ophthalmology, Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Tissue engineering and the ocular surface
09.30 – 09.50 Mr Billy Power, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital
Clinical indications for ocular surface reconstruction
09.50 – 10.10 Dr Kevin Kavanagh, Senior Lecturer, Department of Biology, NUI Maynooth
Analysis of the role of demodex-associated bacterial antigens in inducing corneal damage in ocular rosacea
10.10 – 10.30 Dr Finbarr O’Sullivan, Senior Scientist, National Institute of Cellular Biotechnology, Dublin City University
Repairing the window of the eye – tissue Engineering approaches to repairing corneal epithelial damage
10.30 – 10.50 Ms Sinead Masterson, Irish Medicines Board
Regulatory issues around the use of advanced therapies
10.50 – 11.00 Discussion
11.00 – 11.30 Tea and Coffee
Tissue engineering and the corneal stroma and endothelium
11.30 – 11.50 Professor Conor Murphy, Professor of Ophthalmology, RVEEH and RCSI
Clinical indications for treating corneal stromal and endothelial diseases with tissue engineering approaches
11.50 – 12.10 Professor Fergal O’Brien, Tissue Engineering Research Group, RCSI
Principles of tissue engineering and the use of collagen-based biomaterials in regenerative medicine
12.10 – 12.30 Dr Andrew Cameron, Post-doctoral Fellow, Tissue Engineering Research Group, RCSI
Towards the design of tissue engineered constructs for corneal regeneration
12.30 – 12.50 Dr Clair Gallagher, Post-doctoral Fellow, National Institute of Cellular Biotechnology, DCU
Tissue engineered corneal endothelium – exploiting the culture quirk
12.50 – 1.00 Discussion and close of meeting
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch
The afternoon was devoted to the Eithne Walls Research Meeting, at which NCHDs presented their latest research in competition for the Eithne Walls Medal and the Research Foundation Clinical Prize.
The meeting was well attended and supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Novartis.
