Clinical Trials at the Summit 2026: First-time data, AI, and the next generation of retinal treatments

When Arshad M. Khanani, MD, MA, FASRS, founded Clinical Trials at the Summit (CTS) 6 years ago, the vision was to bring all stakeholders in retinal drug development together under one roof. At this year's meeting, to be held June 12-13 in Las Vegas, Nevada, that vision is more fully realized than ever. Khanani, who serves as meeting founder and co-chair, offered a preview of what attendees can expect during the day-and-a-half program.

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One of the most notable changes this year is an expanded panel format, with approximately 1 dozen panels added in direct response to attendee feedback from the previous year. Topics span a broad range of drug development considerations including artificial intelligence (AI), regulatory affairs, partnerships with large pharmaceutical companies, and the challenges of bringing novel therapies to market. The full scientific program takes place on June 13, with panels and discussions beginning the evening of June 12.

The meeting will feature around 90 talks in its signature rapid-fire, 4-minute format, including a dedicated first-time data section where multiple new data sets will be presented publicly for the first time. Program highlights span a wide range of therapeutic areas and development stages, with sessions covering neovascular and dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema, diabetic retinopathy, and inherited retinal diseases (IRDs).

A broad stakeholder community

Khanani noted that what has surprised him most about how the meeting has evolved is the breadth of interest from across the drug development ecosystem. "We have a lot of investors and analysts attending from Wall Street. We have major retina and large CROs that are part of the conversation. We have drug development experts. We have basic scientists. We have retina specialists that are practicing," he said, adding that physicians who do not conduct trials but are interested in them are also participating.

On the scientific program, sessions will address the latest data from approved treatments for neovascular AMD, as well as emerging approaches including tyrosine kinase inhibitors and gene therapy, with a particular focus on reducing treatment burden. "I think those are going to be practice-changing for physicians in terms of decreasing treatment burden," Khanani said. Multiple early- to mid-stage gene therapy data sets will be presented that most of the community has not yet seen, alongside programs currently in phase 3 development.

The dry AMD space will receive significant attention, with dedicated sessions on biomarkers, imaging, and functional end points. A separate session will address IRDs. The topic of AI will round out the program, with sessions examining how AI can play a role in pre-screening, clinical development, and clinical trials, as well as a panel discussion on the practical implications for the clinical trials landscape.

"It's all stakeholders together trying to go from basic science to early-stage, mid-stage, late-stage trials, as well as execution, funding, partnerships, [and] AI," Khanani said. "That's why I'm really excited about this year's program."

Arshad M. Khanani, MD, MA, FASRS

E: arshad.khanani@gmail.com

Arshad M. Khanani, MD, MA, FASRS, is managing partner, director of clinical research, and director of fellowship at Sierra Eye Associates in Reno, Nevada, and clinical associate professor at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine.