Helsinki Vision 2026 - Visual Neuroscience in Health and Disease

Name: Helsinki Vision 2026 - Visual Neuroscience in Health and Disease
Start: 2026-09-16T06:00:00Z
End: 2026-09-18T15:00:00Z
Location: University of Helsinki

University of Helsinki

September 16-18, 2026

Registration

Helsinki 16.-18. September 2026

Bridging retinal physiology, neural degeneration, and clinical innovation in the late-summer light of the Baltic shores of Helsinki.

Helsinki Vision 2026 is a focused international forum where basic scientists and ophthalmologists meet at the same table to tackle one question: how can deep understanding of retinal circuits transform early diagnosis and treatment of blinding disease? Sessions will span non-invasive retinal physiology, systems-level vision neuroscience, early biomarkers and imaging tools for retinal disease, and the non-image-forming pathways that link the eye to sleep, mood, and systemic health.

Framed by the unique atmosphere of a Nordic late summer, the meeting offers an ideal setting for high-level science and genuine human connection.

Keynote Speaker

Terri L. YoungUniversity of Wisconsin, Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, USA - President of The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)

Meet the Speakers

Petri Ala-LaurilaUniversity of Helsinki, Aalto University, Finland

E.J. ChichilniskyStanford University, School of Medicine, USA

Deniz DalkaraResearch Director at the Institut de la Vision, France

Michael DoHarvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, USA

Felice DunnUniversity of California, San Francisco, USA

Greg FieldUniversity of California, Los Angeles, USA

Christopher FortenbachUniversity of Washington, USA

Alecia GrossUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham, USA

Samer HattarNational Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, USA

Bryan JonesUniversity of Pittsburgh, USA

Giedrius KalesnykasExperimentica Ltd., Tampere University, Finland

Corinne KosticUniversité de Lausanne, Switzerland

Henri LeinonenUniversity of Eastern Finland, School of Pharmacy, Finland

Nina MilosavljevicThe University of Manchester, UK

Nicholas OeschUniversity of California, San Diego, USA

Yvonne OuUniversity of California, San Francisco, USA

Sara PattersonRochester University, USA

Serge PicaudDirector of the Institut de la Vision, France

Christophe RibelaygaUniversity of Houston, USA

Alapakkam SampathUniversity of California Los Angeles, Research Director at the Jules Stein Eye Institute,  USA

Tiffany SchmidtNorthwestern University, USA

Gregory SchwartzNorthwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, USA

Raunak SinhaUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison, USA

Benjamin SivyerSave Sight Institute, University of Sydney, Australia

Joni TurunenUniversity of Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital, Finland

Russell Van GelderUniversity of Washington, chair of the University of Washington Medicine Department of Ophthalmology, USA

Frans VinbergUniversity of California, Irvine, USA

Keisuke YoneharaYokohama City University, School of Medicine, Japan

Organizing Committee

Gabriel Peinado Allina, PhD

Research Fellow, Research Council of Finland
Docent in Physiology and Neuroscience, University of Helsinki
Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University

Petri Ala-Laurila, PhD

Professor
Department of Molecular and Integrative Biosciences, University of Helsinki
Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University

Joni Turunen, MD, PhD, FEBO, Docent

Consultant Ophthalmologist, Department of Ophthalmology, HUS Helsinki University Hospital
Clinical Lecturer, University of Helsinki
Group Leader, Eye Genetics Group, Folkhälsan Research Center

Mika Harju, MD, PhD, Docent

Head of Glaucoma department, Department of Ophthalmology, HUS Helsinki University Hospital
Associate Professor, University of Helsinki

Iida Holck, MNr

Conference manager, Coordinator, University of Helsinki

Oskar Ikäheimo, MSc

Program Coordinator
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University

Jussi Tiihonen, MSc

Sponsorship Manager
Department of Molecular and Integrative Biosciences, University of Helsinki

Jalmari Paasonen, BSc

Communications and Outreach Coordinator
Department of Molecular and Integrative Biosciences, University of Helsinki

Juha Nuutila, DVM, MSc

Materials Coordinator
Department of Molecular and Integrative Biosciences, University of Helsinki

Beatričė Naujokaitė, BSc

Visuals and Production Coordinator
Department of Molecular and Integrative Biosciences, University of Helsinki

Our sponsors

We are grateful for our sponsors making the event possible

University of Helsinki

The University of Helsinki is an international research community of over 40,000 students and staff. We make scientific breakthroughs to benefit the world. Our top research areas are future technologies, a sustainable planet, precision health, and learning and evolving societies. The University of Helsinki ranks among the top one percent of universities in the world. The university was founded in 1640.

Website

Aalto University

Aalto University is where science and art meet technology and business. We shape a sustainable future by making research breakthroughs in and across our disciplines, sparking the game changers of tomorrow and creating novel solutions to major global challenges. Our community is made up of 16 000 students and 5 200 employees, including 446 professors. Our campus is in Espoo, Greater Helsinki, Finland.

Website

Aalto Brain Centre

Aalto Brain Centre (ABC) is a strategic initiative within the Aalto University School of Science. ABC relies on the strong expertise of the school's research teams in systems neuroscience, neurotechnology, signal analysis, machine learning, network analysis, brain imaging, psychology, cognitive science, clinical neuroscience, naturalistic neuroscience, physics, and engineering. The ABC seminars act as a meeting point for scientists working in the fields of neuroscience and neurotechnology.

Website

Federation of Finnish Learned Societies

The Federation of Finnish Learned Societies, established in 1899, is a national co-operative body for learned societies in Finland. Representing 301 societies and four academies across all branches of arts and sciences, it contributes to co-operation between learned societies, supports and develops scholarly communication and publishing, and promotes the awareness and usage of research results. The Federation also supports the role of its members in science policy discussion, distributes state subsidies for scholarly publishing and conferences, and hosts key expert bodies including the Committee for Public Information, the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity, and the Publication Forum.

Website

Experimentica

Experimentica is a science-driven preclinical ocular CRO helping pharmaceutical, biotech, and academic customers advance eye therapies from discovery toward clinical development. Established in 2013, we combine deep ophthalmic expertise with advanced imaging, functional assessments, histology, biomolecular analyses, proprietary algorithms, and AI-driven quantification to generate robust, actionable data.

Operating from AAALAC-accredited facilities in Finland and Lithuania, we offer tailored in vivo and in vitro models for retinal and anterior segment diseases, using established cell systems as well as rodent and rabbit models with advanced injection and surgical techniques. Our expertise spans efficacy, safety, biomarkers, mechanisms of action, biodistribution, PK/PD, and gene therapy evaluations including AAV, mRNA, and exosomes.

With flexible study designs, close scientific collaboration, and ongoing expansion toward GLP safety and toxicology capabilities, Experimentica supports ocular drug development programs with reliable, decision-ready preclinical evidence.

Website

MaxWell Biosystems

MaxWell Biosystems is a global technology leader in high-content electrophysiology, developing high-resolution functional imaging platforms for electrical recordings of 2D and 3D in vitro models. Powered by next-generation High-Density Microelectrode Arrays (HD-MEAs), its solutions enable researchers to characterize cellular activity across scales, from networks down to the subcellular level. MaxWell Biosystems supports basic research, disease modeling, and drug discovery by enabling robust, high-content electrophysiology workflows.

Website

Phoenix-Micron

Phoenix-Micron designs and manufactures imaging and electrophysiology systems for in vivo, preclinical studies of the eye and eye-brain connection in small animals. The Company’s patented MICRON® product line includes retinal and anterior segment imaging, OCT, ERG, and image-guided laser systems on a single multi-modality platform designed specifically for small-animal research.

The flagship MICRON 5 and the new MICRON SE camera systems include software and AI tools that optimize the imaging workflow while capturing high-resolution, high-contrast images and critical data.

More than 1,100 peer-reviewed papers across a wide range of disease and therapeutic models include data and images from MICRON cameras.

Website

Striatech

Founded by vision scientists, Striatech creates reliable, automated tools to evaluate functional vision in laboratory animals. Built on years of hands-on experience in preclinical vision research, we focus on making functional testing simple, objective, and reproducible. Today, academic institutes and research teams worldwide rely on our validated systems to quantify visual performance, assess disease progression, and evaluate novel therapeutic approaches.

Website

Qamos

“The instruments of darkness tell us truths.”

— Shakespeare, Macbeth

From the kaamos—the Finnish polar night—where even the faintest light carries meaning, a new startup emerges. Founded on the highest standards of fundamental science, Qamos steps out of the shadow of the quantum at Helsinki Vision 2026 for its first public appearance.

Join us for your first quantal experience—and a glimpse into the revolutionary future of eye-disease diagnostics.

Website

Retina ry

Retina Finland (Retina ry) was founded in 1973. It is one of the oldest RP Societies in the world. We provide reliable information and peer support for people with inherited retinal dystrophies helping them and their families to cope with this rare visual impairment. Retina Finland was one of the founders of Retina International (formerly IRPA) in 1978 together with USA, Great Britain, Australia, and Germany. Finland hosted the 3rd IRPA World Conference in 1984 and the 15th in 2008. We collaborate with other disability organizations as well as with Finnish researchers, eye clinics and rehabilitation counsellors. Retina Finland manages a fund to support research for the cure of these eye diseases.

Website

City of Helsinki

The City of Helsinki cordially hosts the Welcome Reception for Helsinki Vision 2026, extending a warm welcome to all conference participants.

Website

Helsinki

Our event takes place in the heart of Helsinki, the seaside capital of Finland, where neoclassical heritage meets modern Nordic innovation. Founded as a strategic maritime gateway, the city's past lives in the white columns of the cathedral and the granite ramparts of Suomenlinna. The environment is defined by its purity, offering the world’s cleanest tap water and salty sea air alongside the scent of pine and the deep heat of a traditional sauna. Visitors will discover a capital both compact and grand, reflecting Finnish values of functionalism, clarity, and a profound respect for the environment.

To plan your visit, explore sightseeing and local highlights at myhelsinki.fi/visit-helsinki and find transportation details at hsl.fi/en. Our conference venues and interactive map are accessible via the button below.

Accommodation

Helsinki offers several accommodation options for your stay. Please note that participants are responsible for arranging their own lodging independently. To help with your planning, a variety of options at different price points are listed below. If you choose to stay at a Scandic hotel, a discount code including free breakfast will be provided directly in your registration email.