ASRS 2026: Retina specialists to gather in Montréal for latest clinical and surgical updates

Durable therapies, novel biologics and real-world treatment burden in nAMD are expected to be key themes at this year’s meeting

The 44th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) will take place from July 15–18, 2026, at the Palais des congrès de Montréal in Montréal, Québec, Canada.¹ The meeting is described by ASRS as retina’s flagship scientific meeting and will bring together specialists from around the world to discuss advances in vitreoretinal disease, surgery, imaging and clinical research.

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This year’s programme is expected to include rapid-fire talks, longer discussion periods and practical treatment updates, with a continued focus on investigator-led research, novel surgical ideas, techniques and instrumentation. The meeting will open with “Retina Surgery Around the World”, featuring international surgical teams discussing approaches and technologies used across different regions.

For ophthalmologists and retina specialists, ASRS 2026 should provide a useful view of where the field is heading, particularly in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), where treatment durability, disease control and real-world anti-VEGF burden remain central clinical challenges.

What to look out for

Several anticipated presentations point to a strong emphasis on durable treatment strategies in nAMD:

• Efficacy and safety results from the phase 3 SOL-1 trial of intravitreal axitinib hydrogel, also known as OTX-TKI or AXPAXLI, in nAMD is scheduled for Thursday, July 16, in the “Beyond Anti-VEGF: Emerging Durable Therapies in Neovascular AMD” session. In a press release, Ocular Therapeutix has also listed ASRS presentations on real-world anti-VEGF treatment utilisation and vision outcomes in nAMD using the Vestrum Database, and on long-term anti-VEGF treatment patterns and outcomes in the IRIS Registry.
• $D Molecular Therapeutics has announced the 2-year follow-up data from the phase 2b PRISM trial of 4D-150, an investigational intravitreal gene therapy, in a broad nAMD population is due to be presented on Saturday, July 18. These findings will be important for understanding whether a gene therapy approach can provide sustained disease control over longer follow-up while reducing the need for repeated intravitreal injections.
• Kalaris Therapeutics will present phase 1a data for TH103, a novel dual-targeting VEGF/heparan sulphate proteoglycan biologic, in treatment-naïve nAMD. The first-in-human presentation is scheduled for Friday, July 17, in the “Innovations in nAMD: New Targets, New Therapies, Early Results” session. Kalaris has also confirmed that its phase 1b/2 multiple ascending dose study of TH103 in nAMD is actively enrolling and dosing patients, with initial data expected in the first half of 2027.

Together, these presentations should help clarify how far the retina field is moving beyond standard repeated anti-VEGF injection schedules. Key questions will include whether newer approaches can maintain vision and anatomical outcomes with fewer treatments, how safety profiles evolve with longer follow-up and which patient groups may be most suitable for sustained-delivery, gene therapy or next-generation biologic approaches.

At ASRS 2026, the most clinically relevant updates are likely to be those that connect efficacy with durability, safety and feasibility in routine retina care. The meeting should also provide broader insight into how specialists are thinking about the next phase of nAMD management: not replacing anti-VEGF therapy entirely, but refining how, when and for whom treatment can be made more durable.

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References:

1. American Society of Retina Specialists. 44th Annual Scientific Meeting, Montréal, Canada, July 15–18, 2026. More information: https://www.asrs.org/annual-meeting
2. Ocular Therapeutix. Ocular Therapeutix to participate in July scientific and investor conferences. Available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/07/01/3320488/0/en/ocular-therapeutix-to-participate-in-july-scientific-and-investor-conferences.html (accessed July 1, 2026).
3. 4D Molecular Therapeutics. 4DMT announces presentation at 44th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Retina Specialists. Available at: https://ir.4dmoleculartherapeutics.com/news-releases/news-release-details/4dmt-announces-presentation-44th-annual-scientific-meeting (accessed June 30, 2026).
4. Kalaris Therapeutics. Kalaris announces upcoming presentation of TH103 phase 1a clinical data at American Society of Retina Specialists; phase 1b/2 clinical trial actively enrolling. Available at: https://investors.kalaristx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/kalaris-announces-upcoming-presentation-th103-phase-1a-clinical (accessed June 23, 2026).