Dr. Thomas Albini on Angiogenesis '26: AI, GA Pipelines, Gene Therapy, and What Not to Miss

Hosts:John Kitchens, MDScott KrzywonosGuest:Thomas Albini, MDProfessor of Clinical Ophthalmology, Bascom Palmer Eye InstituteCourse Co-Organizer, Angiogenesis, Exudation, and Degeneration MeetingShow Summary:In this episode, RetinUp offers pre-meeting coverage of the 2026 Angiogenesis, Exudation, and Degeneration meeting with one of its long-time course co-leaders, Thomas Albini, MD. John and Scott sit down with Tom to help listeners navigate what can be an overwhelming, marathon agenda—and to highlight the sessions most likely to shape retina care and research in the year ahead.The conversation spans the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence in retina, early-phase geographic atrophy studies, durability strategies in wet AMD, and a packed slate of gene therapy and inherited retinal disease (IRD) updates. Tom also explains why the meeting remains fully virtual, how talks are selected, and why Angiogenesis continues to serve as a global preview of where retina research is heading.Topics Covered:Why the Angiogenesis meeting remains virtual—and how attendance has doubledHow to prepare for a one-day, 80+-talk retina marathonThe growing role of AI and machine learning in imaging and clinical trialsWhen AI may realistically impact everyday clinical practiceEarly-phase geographic atrophy data and emerging systemic therapiesOral and non-intravitreal treatment strategies—and their safety tradeoffsComplement vs. non-complement targets in GAAdvances in wet AMD durability What to watch in gene therapy, including delivery routes and inflammation riskInherited retinal disease sessions, including optogenetics and gene-agnostic approachesHome OCT, imaging innovation, and AI-inferred fluorescein angiographyLandmark trials reaching their final chapters—and why they matterHow Angiogenesis fits alongside meetings like ASRS, AAO, and the Vit-Buckle SocietyKey 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 be 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