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NEI Research News

Thanks to the work of NEI scientists and grantees, we’re constantly learning new information about the causes and treatment of vision disorders. Get the latest updates about their work — along with other news about NEI.

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'Monocyte factory' to help scientists study immune-related conditions of the eye

The technique, known by the research team as a “monocyte factory,” makes possible a theoretically limitless source of human immune cells for research and the development of therapies for a variety of conditions including eye disease.

Study reveals shared blueprint in brain development across different functional areas

In a new study, researchers from the University of Minnesota Medical School investigated brain development to understand how different areas of the brain become specialized in handling information such as vision, sound, touch and planning.

Researchers closing in on genetic treatments for hereditary lung disease, vision loss

Researchers who work with tiny drug carriers known as lipid nanoparticles have developed a new type of material capable of reaching the lungs and the eyes, an important step toward genetic therapy for hereditary conditions like inherited vision loss.
Human iPSC-derived retinal pigment epithelium (RPE).

UC Irvine study shows similarities and differences in human and insect vision formation

Researchers have discovered profound similarities and surprising differences between humans and insects in the production of the critical light-absorbing molecule of the retina, 11-cis-retinal, also known as the “visual chromophore.”
Glaucoma and the optic nerve

Researchers identify genes and cell types that may have causal role in primary open-angle glaucoma formation

In a new study, researchers conducted a comprehensive study that uncovered key genes, biological processes and cell types that may affect the pathogenesis of primary open angle glaucoma, in intraocular pressure-dependent and independent manners.

Retinal photoreceptors use dual pathways to tell brain ‘I’ve seen the light!’

Neuroscientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine have shown that intrinsically-photosensitive retinal ganglion cells use two different pathways at the same time to transmit electrical “vision” signals to the brain.

Knowing what dogs like to watch could help veterinarians assess their vision

University of Wisconsin-Madison study to support development of more sensitive ways to assess canine vision discovers what dogs most like to watch.
Pipet

New technique enhances quality control of lab-grown cells for AMD treatment

NEI researchers improved a crucial step in the production of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a tissue they grow in the lab from patient blood cells and are testing in a clinical trial as treatment for AMD.
The image on the left is labeled "Normal retina," and shows green rods and red cones. The image on the right is labeled "Retina affected by retinitis pigmentosa," and shows green rods that have broken down.

Researchers engineer in vivo delivery system for prime editing, partially restoring vision in mice

By adapting virus-like particles to carry the machinery for a type of gene editing called prime editing, scientists have corrected disease-causing mutations in animals and increased editing efficiency.
Office-Glaucoma

New research aims to develop novel therapeutic for glaucoma

Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine are using a novel approach to hopefully develop a new therapy for glaucoma, a complex disease that eventually leads to blindness.