Sunday
2:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm
Introductory Comments by GRC Staff / Welcome and Introduction from the Chairs
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm
Keynote Session: Cellular Homeostasis and Repair
7:40 pm - 7:45 pm
Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:45 pm - 8:25 pm
"Extracellular Vesicles and Cellular Homeostasis"
8:25 pm - 8:35 pm
Discussion
8:35 pm - 8:45 pm
"Digital Light Bioprinting of a 3D Corneal-Limbal Niche Model"
8:45 pm - 8:50 pm
Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:00 pm
"Development and Optimization of an Ophthalmic Hydrogel to Promote Corneal Wound Healing"
9:00 pm - 9:05 pm
Discussion
9:05 pm - 9:15 pm
"Long-Acting Nanomedicine for Effective Treatment of Corneal Diseases"
9:15 pm - 9:20 pm
Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm
General Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am
Group Photo
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Cornea and Ocular Surface Wound Repair
9:00 am - 9:05 am
Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:25 am
"Corneal Wound Healing and What We Can Learn From the Reindeer Story"
9:25 am - 9:35 am
Discussion
9:35 am - 9:55 am
"Eat or Be Eaten: A New Role for Mesenchymal Stromal and Stem Cells in Disease and Repair"
9:55 am - 10:05 am
Discussion
10:05 am - 10:15 am
"Wnt-5b Mediates Wound Healing and Stem Cell Phenotype in Diabetic Human Corneas"
10:15 am - 10:20 am
Discussion
10:20 am - 10:30 am
"Microcurrent Electrical Stimulation Promotes Axons Growth in Trigeminal Ganglia Neurons and Restore Corneal Nerve Density in Diabetic Keratopathy"
10:30 am - 10:35 am
Discussion
10:35 am - 11:05 am
Coffee Break
11:05 am - 11:25 am
"Tenascin X Function in Corneal Tissue Morphogenesis and Response to Injury"
11:25 am - 11:35 am
Discussion
11:35 am - 11:55 am
"Biological Characteristics of Cultured Human Corneal Endothelial Cells for Cell Injection Therapy"
11:55 am - 12:05 pm
Discussion
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm
"Clinical-Grade Corneal ECM Hydrogel: A Biomaterial-Based Strategy for Scar Prevention"
12:15 pm - 12:20 pm
Discussion
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm
Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Genomics and Gene Regulation
7:30 pm - 7:35 pm
Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:35 pm - 7:55 pm
"Eyes Open on Limbal Epithelial Stem Cell Populations and Their Regeneration"
7:55 pm - 8:05 pm
Discussion
8:05 pm - 8:15 pm
"The Role of Genetic and Environmental Factors in Establishing Mouse Models for Keratoconus"
8:15 pm - 8:20 pm
Discussion
8:20 pm - 8:40 pm
"Limbal Epithelial Stem Cell Homeostasis Is Preserved, in Part, via the Novel IFITM1/OVO1 Regulatory Pathway"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm
Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:10 pm
"The Molecular Composition of Tear Fluid and Its Potential for Personalized Medicine"
9:10 pm - 9:20 pm
Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm
General Discussion
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Cellular Interactions, the Extracellular Matrix, and Morphogenesis
9:00 am - 9:05 am
Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:25 am
"Mitochondrial Transfer Between Corneal Epithelial Cells and Sensory Axons In Vitro and In Vivo"
9:25 am - 9:35 am
Discussion
9:35 am - 9:55 am
"Decoding Primary Cilia-Mediated Signaling in Anterior Segment Development and Diseases"
9:55 am - 10:05 am
Discussion
10:05 am - 10:15 am
"Does Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition Occur During Lacrimal and Salivary Gland Regeneration or Aging?"
10:15 am - 10:20 am
Discussion
10:20 am - 10:30 am
"Single-Cell Transcriptomic Analysis of Corneal Organoids During Development"
10:30 am - 10:35 am
Discussion
10:35 am - 11:05 am
Coffee Break
11:05 am - 11:25 am
"Matrix Metalloproteinases and Corneal Wound Repair: Roles Beyond Remodeling"
11:25 am - 11:35 am
Discussion
11:35 am - 11:55 am
"Pathobiology of Corneal Ectasia in Genetic Mouse Models"
11:55 am - 12:05 pm
Discussion
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm
"The Mechanics of Neural Crest Biology in Corneal Development and Ocular Wound Healing"
12:15 pm - 12:20 pm
Discussion
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm
Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Mechanisms of Ocular Surface Disease and Disorders
7:30 pm - 7:35 pm
Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:35 pm - 7:55 pm
"Corneal Epithelial Cell Therapy: Where Are We Heading Next?"
7:55 pm - 8:05 pm
Discussion
8:05 pm - 8:25 pm
"The Role of Hyaluronan in Age-Related Meibomian Gland Dysfunction"
8:25 pm - 8:35 pm
Discussion
8:35 pm - 8:45 pm
"Investigating T-Cell Specific Tolerance to a Cornea Neoantigen"
8:45 pm - 8:50 pm
Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:10 pm
"Tear Analysis: Minimally Invasive Metrics for Ocular Surface Disease"
9:10 pm - 9:20 pm
Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm
General Discussion
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Stem Cells of the Ocular Surface
9:00 am - 9:05 am
Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:25 am
"Meibocyte Differentiation and the Role of PPAR-Gamma"
9:25 am - 9:35 am
Discussion
9:35 am - 9:55 am
"Understanding Ocular Surface Epithelial Cell Differentiation with Newly Identified Markers"
9:55 am - 10:05 am
Discussion
10:05 am - 10:15 am
"Foxc2 Is Required for Limbal Epithelial Stem Cell Function"
10:15 am - 10:20 am
Discussion
10:20 am - 10:50 am
Coffee Break
10:50 am - 11:00 am
"Using Small-Molecule Wnt Mimics to Enhance Corneal Epithelial Cell Regeneration"
11:00 am - 11:05 am
Discussion
11:05 am - 11:25 am
"Limbal Niche Cells-Derived Exosomes and Melanosomes: Potential Tools for Stem Cell-Based Ocular Surface Reconstruction"
11:25 am - 11:35 am
Discussion
11:35 am - 11:55 am
"Can We Develop Human Corneal Organoids for Cell Therapies and a Pre-Animal Model System?"
11:55 am - 12:05 pm
Discussion
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm
"Prediction of Cell States and Key Transcription Factors of the Human Cornea through Integrated Single-Cell Omics Analyses"
12:15 pm - 12:20 pm
Discussion
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm
Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Inflammation and Regeneration of the Ocular Surface
7:30 pm - 7:35 pm
Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:35 pm - 7:55 pm
"Corneal Lymphangiogenesis and Beyond"
7:55 pm - 8:05 pm
Discussion
8:05 pm - 8:25 pm
"Biophysical Regulation of Fibrotic versus Non-fibrotic Stromal Wound Healing and Regeneration"
8:25 pm - 8:35 pm
Discussion
8:35 pm - 8:45 pm
"Transcriptomic and Functional Analysis of Corneal Sensory Neurons Reveals Ccl2 as an Afferent-Expressed Modulator of Viral Response"
8:45 pm - 8:50 pm
Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:10 pm
"Profiling the Human Response to Corneal Infection"
9:10 pm - 9:20 pm
Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm
General Discussion
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am
Business Meeting
Nominations for the Next Vice Chair(s); Complete the GRC Evaluation Forms; Election of the Next Vice Chair(s)
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Sickness and Health of the Cornea and Ocular Surface
9:00 am - 9:05 am
Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:25 am
"Scarless Corneal Repair and Transparency Restoration in Rabbits via Targeted Sirt1 Gene Transfer"
9:25 am - 9:35 am
Discussion
9:35 am - 9:55 am
"The Influence of the Glycocalyx on Limbal Epithelial Cell Biology"
9:55 am - 10:05 am
Discussion
10:05 am - 10:15 am
"Single-Cell RNA-Seq Characterization of Corneal Stromal Wound Healing Events"
10:15 am - 10:20 am
Discussion
10:20 am - 10:30 am
"Antiaging Protein Klotho as a Potential Treatment for Dry Eye, Translation of Ocular Surface Research into Novel Therapies"
10:30 am - 10:35 am
Discussion
10:35 am - 11:05 am
Coffee Break
11:05 am - 11:25 am
"Manipulating Scar Formation After Injury"
11:25 am - 11:35 am
Discussion
11:35 am - 11:55 am
"Limbal and Keratocyte Dynamics in the Healthy and Injured Cornea"
11:55 am - 12:05 pm
Discussion
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm
"Corneal Trigeminal Nerve -Derived Extracellular Vesicles (TgV1-EVs) and their Impact on Corneal Epithelial Homeostasis and Repair"
12:15 pm - 12:20 pm
Discussion
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm
Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Translation of Ocular Surface Research into Novel Therapies
7:30 pm - 7:35 pm
Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:35 pm - 7:55 pm
"Candidate Tear Biomarkers to Improve Diagnosis of Ocular Sjogren’s Disease"
7:55 pm - 8:05 pm
Discussion
8:05 pm - 8:25 pm
"Targeting Programmed Cell Death Pathways for Treating Corneal Injury and Diseases"
8:25 pm - 8:35 pm
Discussion
8:35 pm - 8:45 pm
"The Role of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Alpha (PPARα) in Corneal Fibrosis"
8:45 pm - 8:50 pm
Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:10 pm
"Corneal Stromal Regeneration: Stem Cells, Hydrogels, and 3D Bioprinting"
9:10 pm - 9:20 pm
Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm
General Discussion
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am
Departure