The 2023 Fuchs VII Symposium information is coming soon; 2020 info may be found below for reference.

Download The Program

Program is subject to modifications*

Saturday, September 27, 2025

TimeSubjectSpeaker
7:15 AMREGISTRATION, CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST AND VISIT EXHIBITS
7:50 -8:00 AM Introduction 
7:50 AMMeeting IntroductionGuillermo Rocha, MD
7:55 AMAcknowledgment of SponsorsKeith Baratz, MD
8:00 – 9:20 AM Session I: Basic Science and Evolving Medical TherapiesModerators: Drs. Ula Jurkunas & Stephan Ong Tone
8:00 AMBasics of FECD Genes, Pathways and Their Implications for TherapyAlbert Jun, MD, PhD
8:10 AMGene-based Therapy. Is it Feasible?Vinod Mootha, MD
8:20 AMEndothelial Cell MigrationStephan Ong Tone, MD
8:30 AMEx Vivo DSOUla Jurkunas, MD
8:40 AMMitochondria of the FECD Corneal EndotheliumIsabelle Brunette, MD
8:50 AMFECD in Women: Epidemiologic, Clinical and Laboratory DataSangita Patel, MD, PhD
9:00 AMReverse Translational Aspects of Cultured HCEC TransplantationShigeru Kinoshita, MD
9:10 AMAUDIENCE DISCUSSIONDrs. Brunette, Jun, Jurkunas, Kinoshita, Mootha, Ong Tone and Patel
9:30-10:30 AM Session II: Eye Banking and Imaging
Moderators: Drs. Marianne Price,& Mark Greiner
9:30 AMTCF4 Mutation in Our Donor Pool: Do We Need to Worry?Keith Baratz, MD
9:40 AMEye Banking of the Future: How Will Eye Banks Respond to Cell-based TherapyVito Romano, MD
9:50 AMA Novel Use of Specular Microscopy for Tracking FECD ProgressionMark Greiner, MD
10:00 AMAre all Guttae Created Equally?Sanjay Patel, MD
10:10 AMAUDIENCE DISCUSSIONDrs. Baratz, Greiner Patel, Price and Romano
10:30 AMREFRESHMENT BREAK AND VISIT EXHIBITS
10:50 AM – 12:10 PM Session III: Clinical Science and Trials
Moderators: Drs. Mona Dagher,  & Theofilos Tourtas
10:50 AMIs There a Role for ROCK Inhibitors in Medical TherapyMarianne Price, MD
11:00 AMPRGF in EKAlfonso Sabater, MD
11:10 AMUpdate on DSO TrialsKathryn Colby MD, PhD
11:20 AMAurion Trial: Phase 1/2Clara Chan, MD
11:30 AMMagnetic Cell Therapy: Addressing Corneal Edema and GuttaeEllen Koo, MD
11:40 AM3D Printed Ex Vivo Human Expanded Endothelial Cell TransplantsMichael Mimouni, MD
11:50 AMAUDIENCE DISCUSSIONDrs. Chan, Colby, Dagher, Koo, Kruse and Sabater
12:10 PMLUNCH AND VISIT EXHIBITS
1:15 – 1:55 PM Session IV: Tillett Lecture 
1:15 PMIntroductionKeith Baratz, MD
1:20 PMTillett LectureJonathan Lass, MD
1:45 PMAUDIENCE DISCUSSIONDrs. Baratz and Lass
1:55 – 3:10 PM Session V: Surgical CareModerators: Drs. Johanna Choremis & Mahshad Darvish – Zargar
1:55 PMDSO (Durable Surgical Outcomes) 8 Years and CountingMark Gorovoy, MD
2:05 PMDMEK vs DSAEK: the DETECT StudyJennifer Rose-Nussbaumer, MD
2:15 PMDMEK vs DSAEK – a Case-based Approach for SuccessRoberto Pineda, MD
2:25 PMEK After Glaucoma SurgeryDavid Rootman, MD
2:35 PMLight-adjustable Lens and IOL Calculations in DMEK Triple ProcedureFrancis Price, MD
2:45 PMAUDIENCE DISCUSSIONDrs. Choremis, Gorovoy, Pineda, Price, Rootman, and Rose-Nussbaumer
3:10 PMREFRESHMENT BREAK AND VISIT EXHIBITS 
3:30 – 4:10 PM Session VI: Keynote Lecture
 
3:30 PMIntroductionGuillermo Rocha, MD
3:35 PMKeynote Lecture: Genetic and Environmental Influences on Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy: Pathogenic Mechanisms and Their Therapeutic Implications Natalie Afshari, MD
4:00 PMAUDIENCE DISCUSSIONDrs. Afshari and Rocha
4:10 – 5:20 PM Session VII: Interactive Case-Based Presentations and Panel Discussion

Moderators: Drs. Julia Talajic & Mark Terry

Panelists: Drs. Clara Chan, Sadeeer Hannush, Ellen Koo and Peter Veldman

4:10 PMInteractive Case PresentationsDrs. Ore-oluwa Erikitola, Rachel Martin, Basma Matar, Alexandra Radermecker, and Maria Rizk
5:20 PMADJOURN 
6:30 PMCocktail DînatoireBar George at Le Mount Stephen Hotel (1440, rue Drummond, Montreal QC H3G 1V9)

Program subject to modifications*

Friday, January 10, 2020

6:00 PM – 8:00 PMNETWORKING RECEPTION 

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Session I: OPENING AND MELLES LECTUREModerator: Dr. KooFaculty:
7:15 AMREGISTRATION, CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST AND VISIT EXHIBITS 
7:55 AMCourse Director’s Welcoming RemarksEllen Koo, M.D.
8:00 AMRemarks by Past and Future DirectorsSadeer Hannush, M.D. and Anthony Aldave, M.D.
8:10 AMIntroduction to Melles LectureEllen Koo, M.D.
8:12 AMMELLES LECTURE: The Evolving Understanding of Fuchs Dystrophy and Treatment OptionsMarianne Price, Ph.D.
Session II: GENETICS and BASIC RESEARCHModerators: Drs. Aldave and JunFaculty:
8:32 AMSession IntroductionShigeru Kinoshita, M.D., Ph.D.
8:34 AMPatient-specific iPSC-derived CE: Genetics of FCD and the Potential for TransplantationJohn Gottsch, M.D.
8:42 AMThe Future of Treatment for Fuchs Dystrophy: Molecular and Cell-Based TherapiesAnthony Aldave, M.D.
8:50 AMGene Editing for Fuchs Corneal DystrophyAlbert Jun, M.D., Ph.D.
8:58 AMThe Mechanism of Action of Rho Kinase on Endothelial Cells in Fuchs DystrophyFredrich Kruse, M.D.
9:06 AMPresent Status of Corneal Endothelial Cell Injection TherapyShigeru Kinoshita, M.D., Ph.D.
9:14 AMEx Vivo Expansion of Endothelial CellsAlfonso Sabater, M.D., Ph.D.
9:22 AMEndothelial Reconstitution with Magnetized CellsWilliam Culbertson, M.D.
9:30 AMStochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy (STORM) Findings of DMEK Donor Graft With Temperature ChangesEllen Koo, M.D.
9:38 AMPanel DiscussionDrs. Culbertson, Gottsch, Kinoshita, Koo, Kruse and Sabater
9:53 AMREFRESHMENT BREAK AND VISIT EXHIBITS 
Session III: SURGICAL TECHNIQUEModerators: Drs. Gorovoy and Straiko
Faculty:
10:23 AMSession IntroductionGerrit Melles, M.D.
10:25 AMThe Toolbox for the DMEK Surgeon: Special Unfolding Techniques for Special Situations.Fredrich Kruse, M.D.
10:33 AMDMEK: Trials and TribulationsSadeer Hannush, M.D.
10:41 AMDSAEK: Challenging CasesKendall Donaldson, M.D.
10:49 AMDMEK: Trifold TechniqueAllen Eghrari, M.D.
10:57 AMGuttae: Do They Affect VisionFrancis Price, M.D.
11:05 AMDescemet’s Stripping Only: Where Are We Now and Where Are We Going?Kathryn Colby, M.D., Ph.D.
11:35 AMDescemet’s Stripping Only: Myths and RealityMark Gorovoy, M.D.
11:21 AMRipasudil Enhanced DMEK – Early Clinical OutcomesMichael Straiko, M.D.
11:29 AMIOL Calculations in Combined Phacoemulsification/DSO/DMEKUla Jurkunas, M.D.
11:37 AMUse of Rho Kinase Inhibitors and DSO in the Treatment of FuchsMarian Macsai, M.D.
11:45 AMPanel DiscussionDrs. Colby, Donaldson, Eghrari, Hannush, Jurkunas, Kruse, Macsai, Melles and F. Price
12:00 PMLUNCH AND VISIT EXHIBITS 
Session IV: TILLETT LECTUREModerator: Dr. KooFaculty:
1:00 PMIntroduction to Tillett LectureEllen Koo, M.D.
1:02 PMTillett Lecture: Reclassifying Fuchs for Regenerative and Cellular Therapy
Jod Mehta, M.D.
Session V: CLINICAL UPDATES AND RESEARCHModerators: Drs. Hannush and O’Brien
Faculty:
1:32 PMSession IntroductionKeith Baratz, M.D.
1:34 PMFactors for DSAEK Outcomes in the Cornea Preservation Time Study: Lessons LearnedJonathan Lass, M.D.
1:42 PMTomographic Analysis of Fuchs DystrophySanjay Patel, M.D.
1:50 PMClinical Markers of Early Rejection in DMEKGerrit Melles, M.D.
1:58 PMPreloaded Donor for DMEK: Long-Term Results in a Large SeriesMark Terry, M.D.
2:06 PMOutcomes of Using Preloaded vs. Non-Preloaded DMEKUla Jurkunas, M.D.
2:14 PMPre-Descemet’s Endothelial Keratoplasty: Science and SurgeryHarminder Dua, M.D.
2:22 PMUpdate on DMEK and Bowman Layer TransplantationGerrit Melles, M.D.
2:30 PMInfections in Endothelial Keratoplasty: Strategies for Prevention and ManagementElmer Tu, M.D.
2:38 PMPanel DiscussionDrs. Baratz, Dua, Jurkunas, Lass, Melles, Patel, Terry and Tu
53 PMREFRESHMENT BREAK AND VISIT EXHIBITS 
Session VI: THE “NEXT LEVEL”Moderators: Drs. Jurkunas and Straiko
Faculty:
3:23 PMSession IntroductionMark Terry, M.D.
3:25 PMEndothelial Keratoplasty and Imparting Knowledge to Learner Surgeons: Experiences From an Academic CenterTerrence O’Brien, M.D.
3:33 PM

Update on Ultra-Thin and Nano-Thin DSEK

Sonia Yoo, M.D.
3:41 PMDescemet’s Membrane Detachment: What We Did Not KnowHarminder Dua, M.D.
3:49 PMCataract Surgery in Fuchs DystrophyEllen Koo, M.D.
3:57 PMThe Dark Side of DMEK: Common Complications and How to Avoid ThemMark Terry, M.D.
4:05 PMInterface Keratitis After Endothelial KeratoplastyCarol Karp, M.D.
4:13 PMTransplantation of De-Cellularized Descemet MembraneJod Mehta, M.D.
4:21 PMArtificial Intelligence and Fuchs DystrophyDimitri Azar, M.D.
4:29 PMDemocratization of DMEK-Why It Matters and How We Should Go About This: A US Survey ResultEllen Koo, M.D.
4:37 PMPanel DiscussionDrs. Azar, Dua, Karp, Koo, Mehta, O’Brien, Terry and Yoo
4:52 PMConcluding RemarksEllen Koo, M.D.
4:54 PMINVITATION TO FUCHS VIIIAnthony Aldave, M.D.
5:00 PMADJOURNMENT