New Retina Radio By Eyetube

In this roundtable moderated by Allen C. Ho, MD, IRD experts discuss their experiences treating patients with voretigene neparvovec (Luxturna, Spark), tips and tricks for subretinal delivery, and the nuances of genetic testing. Participants include Mark E. Pennesi, MD, PhD; Jacque L. Duncan, MD; Andreas Lauer, MD; Aaron Nagiel, MD, PhD; and Artur V. Cideciyan, PhD. To read the article, click here.  This podcast is editorially independent.

Extending treatment duration in patients with DME whose disease is responsive to steroid therapy could be instrumental in ensuring that visual disruption is kept at a minimum. How might the 3-year results from the PALADIN study guide treatment in the near future? Michael Singer, MD, reviewed data from a phase 4, 3-year, real-world study of patients whose DME was managed with fluocinolone acetonide 0.19 mg implant (Iluvien, Alimera Sciences). And NRR sat down with R.V. Paul Chan, MD, MSc, MBA, who summarized updates to ROP therapy as outlined in the 3rd edition of the International Classification of Retinopathy of Prematurity. What are the updates, and what spurred the ICROP to make them? Tune in to find out.  This editorially independent podcast is supported with advertising.

 Is a technology that inhibits tyrosine kinase and shows activity against all isoforms of VEGF and placental growth factor the future of wet AMD therapy? Data from the DAVIO study, which were shared at the 2021 AAO Annual meeting late-breakers session, could be of interest. David Boyer, MD, discussed the drug design of EYP-1901 (EyePoint Pharmaceuticals) and summarized the findings of the phase 1 DAVIO study, which examined the drug’s use in wet AMD patients. NRR also invited Firas Rahhal, MD, to review the safety and efficacy findings of the phase 3 NORSE-2 trial, which explored use of an ocular formation of bevacizumab (bevacizumab-vikg, Outlook Therapeutics) in patients with wet AMD.  This editorially independent podcast is supported with advertising.

The biosimilars are coming—and studies about them are starting to fill the literature. One such study is the COLUMBUS-AMD study, which evaluated the clinical equivalence of FYB201 to ranibizumab for the treatment of wet AMD. Aleksandra Rachitskaya, MD, breaks down the study with Emmanuel Chang, MD, PhD; Michael Klufas, MD; and Dmitra Skondra, MD. The group expands on what biosimilars are and asks what the future of retina could look like if biosimilars are approved for clinical use.  This editorially independent podcast is supported with advertising.

Can anti-VEGF agents act as effective prophylactic treatment for diabetic patients with a high risk of developing diabetic eye disease? Data from the Protocol W’s 2-year timepoint shared at the 2021 AAO Annual meeting might provide some answers on that question. Raj Maturi, MD, joined New Retina Radio to discuss his podium presentation on the topic.  New Retina Radio also invited Usha Chakravarthy, MD, PhD, to the program to outline her presentation on the secondary endpoints of the EDNA study. What was found when a team closely monitored patients for progression of unilateral to bilateral wet AMD? Join us on this episode to hear the details from these two presentations.  This editorially independent podcast is supported with advertising.

Knowing at which point in the course of disease progression a drug for geographic atrophy could be most effective may be key to unlocking a treatment paradigm if a drug is approved. What late-breaking data presented at the 2021 AAO annual meeting could help inform retina’s eventual strategy to treat GA?  New Retina Radio spoke with David Lally, MD, about his presentation on a post hoc analysis of the GATHER1 study to learn more about how GA patients who received avacincaptad pegol (Zimura, IVERIC bio) progressed from nascent disease to more advanced disease.  We also heard from Veeral Sheth, MD, MBA, about the phase 2b ALTISSIMO study, which explored the use of GB-102 (Graybug Vision) for the treatment of wet AMD. Just how long might a drug administered only twice a year provide relief to wet AMD patients? Stay with us to find out.  This editorially independent podcast is supported with advertising.

The treatment landscape for nAMD has expanded to include a refillable, intraocular device that continuously delivers therapy. What was the inspiration behind this new treatment approach? John Kitchens, MD is joined by inventor Eugene de Juan, MD and physician-scientist Tony Adamis, MD to discuss the device and the innovative technology behind its development. During this podcast, they reflect on how their careers and contributions from others in the field led to the drug delivery system. This special episode of New Retina Radio is supported by Genentech USA, Inc., which is responsible for its content.

How do the latest data and treatment guidelines inform treatment strategies for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) among European and Latin American retina specialists? Moderator Prof. Andreas Stahl (Germany) and panelist Dr. Maria Ana Martinez-Castellanos (Mexico) discuss the dynamics of patient care in their respective regions, and are joined by Silke Mader from the European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants to hear about the organization’s initiatives related to ROP. This editorially independent podcast is supported with advertising.

In part 2 of this special podcast interview with John W. Kitchens, MD, and Kirk Packo, MD, FACS, they dive into Dr. Packo's involvement in the creation of AAO subspecialty day, his passion for honoring the history of retina, and his assistance in advocating for vitreoretinal surgery improvements.  This podcast is editorially independent.

In this new podcast episode, John W. Kitchens, MD, interviews Kirk Packo, MD, FACS, around his triumphant career and his decision to retire from practicing medicine following an unexpected diagnosis. In part 1 of 2, Dr. Packo describes his early career goals, his experience with residency matching, his background in acting and directing, and his passion for educating.  This podcast is editorially independent.

The pipeline in retina is bursting! Which datasets shared at the ASRS 2021 meeting provided insights into the future of retina? Mark Barakat, MD, joins the podcast to discuss topline results from a study examining the suprachoroidal delivery of RGX-314 (RegenxBio). And Nancy Holekamp, MD, stops by to educate us on the potential for targeting C1q in the complement cascade in patients with geographic atrophy. What’s the latest with the phase 2 ARCHER study? Find out on this episode. This editorially independent podcast is supported with advertising.

The age of big data allows researchers to uncover how real-world patients with geographic atrophy (GA) behave. What did a deep dive into the IRIS Registry find? We spoke with Durga Borkar, MD, about her research team’s findings on which GA patients are most at risk to being lost to follow-up, which may inform treatment strategies once a drug is approved. And we sat down with M. Ali Khan, MD, whose meta-analysis of RISE/RIDE and three DRCR Retina Network studies explored possible visual outcomes gaps in Black and White patients with diabetic eye disease.  This editorially independent podcast is supported with advertising.

We may be on the cusp of the next great era of wet AMD therapy. Which phase 3 data will guide physician decision-making if new technologies are approved by regulatory bodies? Chirag Jhaveri, MD, spoke with New Retina Radio about anatomic data collected in the phase 3 ARCHWAY study. How did patients who received the Port Delivery System with Ranibizumab (PDS, Genentech) differ from those on monthly ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech) in terms of fluctuation in central subfield thickness? And as FDA weighs the possible approval of faricimab for the treatment of wet AMD, we hear from Karl Csaky, MD, PhD, about the safety, efficacy, and durability of the drug for wet AMD in the TENAYA and LUCERNE studies.  This editorially independent podcast is supported with advertising.

How can retina surgeons work with optometrists to create a framework that best manages the cases of patients with vitreous opacities? To answer this question, John Kitchens, MD, turns to Tarek Hassan, MD, and Walt Whitley, OD, MBA. The panel discusses how collaboration can transition patients smoothly to surgical consultation, the anatomy of a referral, and if some patients are better suited for surgery than others.  This editorially independent podcast is supported with advertising.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis continues to challenge retina specialists. Could use of CMV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes be an effective strategy in some patients? And if so, in whom? To answer these questions, Christina Weng, MD, MBA, is joined by study author Mrinali Gupta, MD, and panelists Brian Do, MD, and Dimitra Skondra, MD, PhD. During their discussion, we hear about the structure and findings of the study and learn about how these new data may affect treatment algorithms for patients with newly diagnosed CMV retinitis.  This editorially independent podcast is supported with advertising.

In the next installment of the New Retina Radio miniseries "International Perspectives," moderator Jennifer Arnold (Australia) in joined by panelists Ramin Tadayoni (France) and Armin Wolf (Germany) to discuss the history and contemporary trends of RVO therapy.  This editorially independent podcast is supported with advertising.

It isn't often that anterior segment and posterior segment surgeons discuss surgery. New Retina Radio, in a crossover episode with CRST: The Podcast, is changing that by initiating a conversation about surgery for vitreous opacities. John Kitchens, MD, invites retina specialist Maria Berrocal, MD, and anterior segment surgeon Elizabeth Yeu, MD, to chat surgical pearls, patient management tactics, and whether premium IOLs are exacerbating vitreous opacities. Stick around at the end of the episode for some compelling conversation that our editors salvaged from the cutting room floor.  This editorially independent podcast is supported with advertising.

As retina inches closer to a therapy that is safe and effective for the treatment of GA in the presence of dry AMD, the VBS Journal Club meets to review a pair of papers on a pair of pipeline treatments undergoing phase 3 evaluations. Aleksandra Rachitskaya, MD, is joined by Emmanuel Chang, MD, PhD; Michael Klufas, MD; and Dmitra Skondra, MD, to review phase 2/3 GATHER1 study, which is evaluating the safety and efficacy of avacincaptad pegol (Zimura, IVERIC bio). They also discuss a post hoc evaluation of the phase 2 FILLY study to determine which factors may be linked to the development of exudative AMD in some study patients after treatment with pegcetacoplan (Apellis), which is underdoing phase 3 investigation in the DERBY and OAKS studies.  This editorially independent podcast is supported with advertising.

Safety will ultimately drive decision-making for patients with wet AMD. What are the latest safety data in the MERLIN, ARCHWAY, OPTIC, RGX-314, and TENAYA/LUCERNE trials? Moderator Arshad M. Khanani, MD, MA (United States), and panelists Justus G. Garweg, MD (Switzerland), Seenu M. Hariprasad, MD (United States), and Peter Kertes, MD, FRCSC (Canada), sift through the latest safety data to determine how concerns about safety could shape the future of wet AMD therapy.  This editorially independent podcast is supported with advertising.

Perspectives regarding surgery for vitreous opacities (VOs) have shifted in the past several years. How have innovations in surgical instrumentation, visualization, and IOL technology changed how surgeons approach VOs? John Kitchens, MD, sits down with S.K. Steven Houston III, MD, and Christina Weng, MD, MBA, to hear their perspectives on the modern state of VOs, learn about their surgical tactics, and establish how they determine when to send patients to surgery. This editorially independent podcast is supported with advertising.