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IoO ECR Symposium 2026

9 June 2026
Darwin Building
Europe/London timezone

Session

Flash Talks

9 Jun 2026, 12:20
Darwin Lecture Theatre (B40) (Darwin Building)

Darwin Lecture Theatre (B40)

Darwin Building

Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT

Presentation materials

There are no materials yet.

  1. 33. cGMP analogues for understanding and targeting early pathological changes in LCA4
    Erika Aguzzi
    09/06/2026, 12:20
    Disease Mechanisms
    Flash Talk

    Leber congenital amaurosis type 4 (LCA4) is an early-onset inherited retinal disorder caused by pathogenic variants in AIPL1. Dysfunction of AIPL1 compromises the stability of phosphodiesterase 6 (PDE6), leading to non-homeostatic accumulation of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), which is strongly implicated in photoreceptor degeneration. Despite this, the initial cellular and molecular...

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  2. 62. Local Rules, Global Order: How Müller Glia Self-Organise in the Developing Retina
    Gina Gilpin (UCL / Francis Crick Institute)
    09/06/2026, 12:23
    Visual Neuroscience
    Flash Talk

    During development, cells self-organise into functional tissues through local interactions, yet the mechanisms coordinating form with function remain poorly understood. Müller glia (MG), the principal glia of the retina, establish non-overlapping territories that span all retinal layers, providing metabolic support and synaptic regulation. How MG coordinate territorial organisation during...

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  3. 20. Genetic investigation and iPSC-derived corneal cell modelling of familial keratoconus
    Dr Freddie L. Braddock (UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, UK)
    09/06/2026, 12:26
    Genomic and Translational Medicine
    Flash Talk

    INTRODUCTION
    Keratoconus (KC) is a complex, progressive corneal ectasia and one of the most common causes of visual deterioration in young adults. Genetic risk contributes to the development of KC, but we lack understanding of the aetiology of this condition. Here we aim to complement our GWAS approaches with experimental investigation of familial KC, with the potential to identify rare...

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  4. 63. Developing an mRNA therapy for RLBP1-retinopathy
    Sara Romero Vázquez (UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London EC1V 9EL, UK)
    09/06/2026, 12:29
    Genomic and Translational Medicine
    Flash Talk

    Background: Patients with biallelic mutations in RLBP1 gene develop a spectrum of autosomal recessive rod-cone dystrophies, for which there are currently no approved treatments. RLBP1 encodes cellular retinaldehyde binding protein 1 (CRALBP), a 36-kD protein that regenerates the visual chromophore 11-cis retinal. In this study, we aimed to assess the efficacy of RLBP1-mRNA therapy introduced...

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  5. 39. Multimodal in vivo and ex vivo imaging of putative hyalocyte-associated signals at the human vitreoretinal interface
    Yuxuan Meng (UCL IoO and Morfields Eye Hospital)
    09/06/2026, 15:15
    Disease Mechanisms
    Flash Talk

    Hyalocytes are macrophage-lineage border immune cells located at the posterior hyaloid and vitreoretinal interface (VRI), a specialised compartment between the vitreous and neural retina. Clinical OCT frequently reveals punctate hyperreflective cell-like signals at this interface, but their cellular identity remains uncertain. These signals are often grouped under broad descriptive terms such...

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  6. 64. AAV-mediated ocular gene therapy overcomes retinal immune tolerance, to enable cytotoxic T cell-mediated retinal cell loss
    Rose Avient
    09/06/2026, 15:18
    Disease Mechanisms
    Flash Talk

    Luxturna was the first approved adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy, however, patients exhibit progressive retinal atrophy following treatment. One proposed cause is a transgene-specific cytotoxic CD8+ T cell response. Notably, this is not observed in mice suggesting they lack comparable CD8+ responses, limiting their ability to recapitulate clinical observations. This project...

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  7. 81. Muller glia: The architects of retinal synapse remodelling
    Roxana Lungu (University College London)
    09/06/2026, 15:21
    Ocular Development and Ageing
    Flash Talk

    Synaptic pruning is a neurodevelopmental checkpoint that occurs to eliminate excess neurons and refine circuits in the nervous system. The retina consists of highly organised networks of neuronal and glial cells that connect to pass visual information. However, the cellular and molecular processes behind synaptic pruning in the retina remain unclear. Glial cells, like astrocytes, microglia...

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  8. 94. Introduction to the IoO Mentoring Scheme
    Andrea Martello (University College London)
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