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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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NEI researchers home in on a new cause of Stargardt disease

Using a new stem-cell based model made from skin cells, scientists found the first direct evidence that Stargardt-related ABCA4 gene mutations affect a layer of cells in the eye called the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE).
NEI scientists Mitra Farnoodian Tedrick and Kapil Bharti with KTEF Commanders

Knights Templar Eye Foundation funds NEI scientist’s search for therapies to treat blinding eye disease

NEI researcher Mitra Farnoodian Tedrick, Ph.D., received a $65,000 grant from the Knights Templar Eye Foundation (KTEF) to identify drugs to treat a rare blinding condition called Stargardt disease.
Multicolored image of photoreceptors and their long connecting processes, called axons, within a stem cell-derived retinal organoid

U. Wisconsin eye research uncovers how stem cell photoreceptors reach their targets

A new study reveals how photoreceptors grown from stem cells might extend biological wires, known as axons, to contact existing neurons.
Photoreceptor degeneration tied to lipofuscin accumulation.

Advancing a treatment for a common eye disease that lacks one

The road from discovering a potential drug to getting the therapy into the hands of patients is a long and uncertain one. An NIH program called Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network helps basic researchers prep for clinical trials and regulatory approval.

NIH study classifies vision loss and retinal changes in Stargardt disease

National Eye Institute researchers developed and validated an artificial-intelligence-based method to evaluate patients with Stargardt, an eye disease that can lead to childhood vision loss.
Rod outer segment showing connector

UC Irvine researchers reveal molecular mechanisms of eye disease using cryo-electron tomography

Understanding the key structural determinants of a highly specialized membrane in the eye could lead to new treatments.
Anti-VEGF treatment has greatly improved the prognosis for patients with AMD.

National Eye Institute launches data portal for macular degeneration research

The National Eye Institute (NEI) Data Commons now enables researchers to access data from patients with macular degeneration who participated in the Age-related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2).
Image of retina

Scientists successfully test new way to deliver gene therapy​

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have used a unique method to safely deliver gene therapy to fight a rare, but irreversible, genetic eye disorder known as Stargardt disease.
Retinal degeneration in mice

Drugs already on market prevent light-induced retinal degeneration in mice

Combinations of Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs protect against the loss of cells required for vision in a mouse model of blinding retinal diseases.
Dr. Krzysztof Palczewski

Translational research through teamwork

Imagine you are building a house. You would need a team of specialists, including an architect, a general contractor, carpenters, an electrician, a plumber and many others.