(Applicant?s Abstract) The primary goal of the forthcoming X International Symposium on Retinal Degenerations, a satellite meeting of the XV International Congress of Eye Research, is to promote the exchange of current information and ideas amongst basic and clinical scientists in the interest of fostering new advances in our understanding of basic mechanisms and the development of therapeutic interventions in acquired and inherited retinal degenerations. Special effort has been made to introduce new investigators into the field and to include established investigators with clinical and basic science backgrounds. We have reached a point in the history of scientific endeavor at which there is common interest among basic and clinical scientists in understanding the fundamental mechanisms underlying retinal diseases. This meeting, which has been held biennially since 1984, has been responsible for fostering many of the collaborative research projects that have provided vital new information. As with previous meetings, the 2002 conference will feature a rich mixture of investigators, ranging from cell and developmental biologists to clinician-scientists from major research/clinical centers throughout the world. The 2002 meeting will be held in Antalya, Turkey on Sept. 29 - Oct. 5, 2002 as a satellite meeting of the XV International Congress of Eye Research to be held in Jerusalem from Oct. 6 - 11. The meeting will have eight sessions of paper presentations and dedicated time for poster discussion. The program will be finalized 3-4 months before the meeting and will include the very latest information. Topics covered in previous meetings include new genes and loci, gene therapy, macular degeneration, animal models, medical therapies, mechanisms of cell death, transplantation, and retinal prostheses. A highly favorable aspect of the nine meetings held to date is the intimate environments that have provided for formal and informal discussions among established scientists with diverse backgrounds. This relaxed atmosphere has allowed clinicians and researchers from all parts of the to meet each other and learn of each other?s work. From the first meeting held in 1984, we have encouraged young persons to attend. Beginning in 2000, we supported the attendance of eleven students, postdoctoral fellows, and young scientists new to the field, who had the opportunity to meet and interact with established scientists. This is a key feature that distinguishes the International Symposium on Retinal Degenerations from other scientific meetings.
