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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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135 items
Grantee News

300 Blind Mice Uncover Genetic Causes of Eye Disease

Hundreds of new genes linked to blindness and other vision disorders have been identified in a screen of mouse strains. Many of these genes are likely important in human eye vision and the results could help identify new causes of hereditary blindness.
Photo shows T. Michael Redmond, Ph.D.

NIH vision researcher T. Michael Redmond recognized with Champalimaud Vision Award

Vision researcher, T. Michael Redmond, Ph.D., chief of the National Eye Institute (NEI) Laboratory of Retinal Cell and Molecular Biology, is a recipient of the 2018 António Champalimaud Vision Award for foundational science discoveries about the molecular
Illustration of icosahedral virus capsid, containing circular AAV vector. Arrows point from green and blue colored regions of the vector to shRNA and rhodopsin protein, respectively.

Researchers find potential new gene therapy for blinding disease

Scientists funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) report a novel gene therapy that halts vision loss in a canine model of a blinding condition called autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (adRP).
Grantee News

Gene regulator may contribute to protein pileup in exfoliation glaucoma

Scientists have evidence that variants of the same gene that enables us to make connective tissue by crosslinking proteins is associated with unusual glaucoma.
Glaucoma causes the loss of peripheral vision. This photo shows two boys in the center surrounded by blackness to depict the tunnel vision that can occur as the disease progresses.

NEI funded researchers identify 133 genetic variants that predict glaucoma risk

Researchers funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) have identified 133 genetic variants that predict with 75-percent accuracy a person’s risk for developing glaucoma related to elevated pressure within the eye.
Grantee News

Insight to the Eye Lens

U. Delaware's Salil Lachke identifies new mechanism essential for eye lens development.

NIH discovery brings stem cell therapy for eye disease closer to the clinic

Scientists at the National Eye Institute (NEI) report that tiny tube-like protrusions called primary cilia on cells of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) are essential for the survival of the retina’s light-sensing photoreceptors.
Brunescent nuclear cataract

NEI charts a clearer future for cataract prevention and treatment

Research funded by the National Eye Institute aims to reverse progression of cataracts—the most common cause of blindness worldwide—or to prevent them from forming altogether.
Fly head

New light sensing molecule discovered in the fruit fly brain

Six biological pigments called rhodopsins play well-established roles in light-sensing in the fruit fly eye. Three of them also have light-independent roles in temperature sensation.
Corneal section from a person with Fuchs dystrophy shows the presence of ATP1B1 in the corneal endothelium.

NIH-funded team identifies genetic underpinnings of Fuchs dystrophy

An international study of more than 5,417 people helps pinpoint the genetic risk factors associated with Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy, the most common disorder requiring corneal transplantation.