Thomas Albini on Angiogenesis '26: AI, GA Pipelines, Gene Therapy, and What Not to Miss
Guest: Thomas Albini, MD – Course Co-Leader, Angiogenesis, Exudation, and Degeneration Meeting
Show Summary
Thomas Albini, MD, joins John Kitchens, MD, and Scott Krzywonos to help listeners navigate the 2026 Angiogenesis, Exudation, and Degeneration meeting — a one-day, 80+-talk marathon that serves as a global preview of where retina research is heading.
The conversation covers the rapid expansion of AI in retina imaging and clinical trials, early-phase geographic atrophy data, durability strategies in wet AMD, and a packed slate of gene therapy and inherited retinal disease updates.
Tom also explains why the meeting remains fully virtual, how talks are selected, and how Angiogenesis fits alongside other major meetings in the retina calendar.
Topics Covered
Why the Angiogenesis meeting remains virtual — and how attendance has doubled
How to prepare for a one-day, 80+-talk retina marathon
The growing role of AI and machine learning in imaging and clinical trials
When AI may realistically impact everyday clinical practice
Early-phase geographic atrophy data and emerging systemic therapies
Oral and non-intravitreal treatment strategies — and their safety tradeoffs
Complement vs. non-complement targets in GA
Advances in wet AMD durability
What to watch in gene therapy, including delivery routes and inflammation risk
Inherited retinal disease sessions, including optogenetics and gene-agnostic approaches
Home OCT, imaging innovation, and AI-inferred fluorescein angiography
Landmark trials reaching their final chapters — and why they matter
How Angiogenesis fits alongside meetings like ASRS, AAO, and the Vit-Buckle Society
Key Quotes
"You could say this is a lot of [AI] talks, but I think it's the tip of the iceberg. I would imagine it's going to grow exponentially over the years." — Thomas Albini, MD
"If there's any hour to not miss in this meeting, I've bookmarked that 2:45 to 3:45 hour because you literally get every single gene therapy talk in a single hour." — John Kitchens, MD
