EGRET-AAA at the GRC: Generating and Regenerating the Visual System!

As vision scientists, sometimes the best ideas come not from a crowded convention center but from the middle of the woods. That’s exactly where the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Generating and Regenerating the Visual System took place this year, tucked away in Newry, Maine, surrounded by nature and away from the usual conference buzz. The isolated, intimate setting is part of the GRC tradition, and it made for some of the highest-level, most in-depth scientific discussion our fellows have experienced. EGRET-AAA DCs Ana Carolina and Giulia were there to present their latest work.

Ana Carolina builds a launchpad for RGC transplantation Ana Carolina presented major progress on her retinal organoid platform for stem cell-derived retinal ganglion cell transplantation. She has now established a technique to precisely target specific sites within the organoids, and successfully generated the transplantation model itself: a key milestone that brings this cell replacement strategy for glaucoma significantly closer to reality.

Giulia reframes FOXC1-related glaucoma beyond IOP Giulia presented a major shift in how we think about FOXC1-related glaucoma. Combining evidence from zebrafish and retinal organoid models, she showed that FOXC1 does not act solely through intraocular pressure, but plays a direct role in retinal ganglion cell development and their vulnerability to oxidative stress: a new mechanistic angle that could reshape how this form of glaucoma is understood.

Both presentations sparked lively discussion typical of the GRC format, where informal exchanges outside the sessions are often as valuable as the talks themselves. A great opportunity to bring the EGRET-AAA network’s work to one of the most focused audiences in visual system research.