Symposium set to explore biomarkers in vision disorders
Vanderbilt Eye Institute's fourth biannual symposium, “Biomarkers in Eye Disease,” will be held Nov 9-10 at the Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt.
With more than 100 attendees expected from across the country, the gathering has become one of the premier conferences in the ophthalmological community, said David Calkins, Ph.D., director of research at VEI and organizer of the event.
“As personalized medicine advances, it is essential to identify molecular and genetic markers that quickly identify individual susceptibility to disease,” said Calkins. “Since most vision diseases are age-related, as the population ages the use of biomarkers to identify individuals at risk for eye disease is more and more important.”
Calkins hopes the program will encourage an exchange of information among basic, translational and clinical scientists. Topics for the two-day symposium include glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, dry eye, cataracts and other degenerative conditions.
“Our intent is to foster new advances in our understanding of biomarker tools for predicting disease incidence, susceptibility and diagnosis,” he said. “These tools include imaging, proteomic and genomic approaches among others.”
The program will include platform sessions, dedicated time for poster presentations and several panel discussions. For more information or to register, go to www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/root/pdfs/vanderbilt_eye/biomarkers/index.html.