Skip to content

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.

Source
116 items

Immune cells in the retina can spontaneously regenerate

Immune cells called microglia can completely repopulate themselves in the retina after being nearly eliminated, according to a new study in mice from scientists at the National Eye Institute (NEI).
Retina organoids mimic the structure and function of the human retina to serve as a platform to study underlying causes of retinal diseases, test new drug therapies, and provide a source of cells for transplantation. credit: David Gamm, M.D., Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison

NIH solicits next-generation retina organoids in prize competition

A competition for radical ideas in the fight against blindness will move to its next phase by challenging participants to build functioning human retina prototypes.
chart

National Eye Institute awards prize for ‘Retina in a dish’ competition

A proposal to create a living model of the human retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye, won $90,000 in the National Eye Institute (NEI) 3-D Retina Organoid Challenge (3-D ROC).
mouse retina

Researchers unlock regenerative potential of cells in the mouse retina

Cells within an injured mouse eye can be coaxed into regenerating neurons and those new neurons appear to integrate themselves into the eye’s circuitry, new research shows.
blueprint eye

NIH launches competition to develop human eye tissue in a dish

The National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, has opened the first stage of a federal prize competition designed to generate miniature, lab-grown human retinas.
Artist's rendering of photoreceptor signaling a retinal ganglion cell

Moving future regenerative therapies for blinding eye diseases to the clinic

A new report outlines steps to bringing future regenerative therapies for blinding diseases of the retina to patients. The retina is the light-sensitive tissue in the back of the eye. When stimulated, retinal neurons send visual information to the brain.
Eye

Helping the retina regenerate

A new report gives recommendations for regenerating retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), crucial neurons in the back of the eye that carry visual information to the brain.
Image of a mouse retina

NIH scientists deploy CRISPR to preserve photoreceptors in mice

Silencing a gene called Nrl in mice prevents the loss of cells from degenerative diseases of the retina, according to a new study. The findings could lead to novel therapies for preventing vision loss from human diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa.
Sequence of five images, spanning 28 days, shows how regeneration happens in the zebrafish retina. Rods are shown in green, regenerating cells are shown in red, and all other cells are labeled with blue. As the rods die, regenerating cells increase and replace the lost rods.

NIH-funded study helps explain how zebrafish recover from blinding injuries

Researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, have discovered that in zebrafish, decreased levels of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) cue the retina, the light-sensing tissue in the back of the eye, to produce stem cells
Grantee News

Vitamin B3 Prevents Glaucoma, JAX Researchers Find

In mice genetically predisposed to glaucoma, vitamin B3 added to drinking water is effective at preventing the disease.

Want more news from NEI?

Subscribe to our news feed to stay up to date on vision and eye health research!

Success! Link copied to clipboard.

Copy to clipboard failed.

You can also browse older stories in our news archive

NEI Press Office

We can connect media professionals with the latest vision research info. Get in touch!


Phone: 301-496-5248