SEATTLE—The Vision Innovation and Venture Forum will be held here at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel, May 3, 2013. Organized by the ARVO Foundation for Eye Research, the meeting will bring together scientists, venture capitalists, pharmaceutical representatives and others to focus on cutting-edge research rather than on established companies. With more than 12,750 researchers from over 80 countries, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)  is the world’s largest organization of eye and vision scientists.

The event aims to help innovators and scientists better understand how products move through the approval and commercialization pipeline while giving investors insight into treatments and devices that are nearing readiness for commercial development. The keynote speaker is Mark S. Blumenkranz, MD, MMS, of Stanford University, who was an early innovator in vitrectomy techniques to treat complex forms of retinal detachment and who helped usher in the modern era of intravitreal and surgical adjuvant drug therapy.

“Many areas of ophthalmic science require additional research support, and they offer opportunities for commercial development,” said Foundation chair Nicholas Bazan, MD, PhD. “The Foundation’s Innovation Forum will provide a unique opportunity for private equity managers, venture capitalists, analysts and others to assess the value of emerging treatments through an independent scientific and commercial lens. They will also join in discussion with the scientists and commercial experts who are working at the cutting edge of these fields.”