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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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Discovery Of New Cell May Be Key To Treating Incurable Neurological Diseases

Researchers at Ohio State and the University of Michigan discovered a new type of immune cell that not only rescues damaged nerve cells from death, but partially reverses nerve fiber damage.

Therapy using immune system cells preserves vision in mice implanted with rare eye cancer

A treatment that uses immune system T-cells, combined with an immune-boosting drug packaged in an injectable gel, was found to preserve the vision of mice implanted with tissue from a human eye cancer known as retinoblastoma.
Colorful confocal image of endothelial cells and microglia

New treatment targets found for blinding retinal disease

When the eye isn’t getting enough oxygen in the face of common conditions like premature birth or diabetes, it can result in blindness. Scientists have identified new points where they may be able to enable recovery.
IL-17A acts on Th17 cells to produce anti-inflammatory response

Dual role discovered for molecule involved in autoimmune eye disease

The inflammatory molecule interleukin-17A (IL-17A) triggers immune cells that in turn reduce IL-17A’s pro-inflammatory activity, according to a new NEI study.
Grantee News

Antibody-based eye drops show promise for treating dry eye disease

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago are the first to identify the presence of a specific type of antibody, called anti-citrullinated protein autoantibodies, or ACPAs, in human tear fluid.
eye anatomy graphic

Two commonly used uveitis drugs perform similarly in NIH-funded clinical trial

Methotrexate and the more expensive mycophenolate mofetil performed similarly in a head-to-head clinical trial that compared the two drugs for treating noninfectious uveitis, an eye disease that accounts for up to 15% of blindness in the U. S.
Microglia in retinal sections of a patient with retinitis pigmentosa

Immune System Can Slow Degenerative Eye Disease, NIH-led Mouse Study Shows

A new study shows that the complement system, part of the innate immune system, plays a protective role to slow retinal degeneration in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited eye disease.
Grantee News

New Treatment for Severe Dry Eye Disease Promising in Early Clinical Trials

Participants in a phase I/II clinical trial of a new enzyme-based treatment for severe dry eye disease experienced reduced signs of disease and discomfort, according to a paper in Translational Vision Science and Technology.
Grantee News

Microglia, the Immune Cells of the Central Nervous System, Shown to Regulate Neuroinflammation

A research team at Massachusetts Eye and Ear has shown that microglia, the primary immune cells of the central nervous system—including the retina of the eye—serve as “gatekeepers,” or biosensors and facilitators, of neuroinflammation...
Side-by-side panels showing retinal vessels. Left panel filled with green, right panel much less green.

Faulty molecular master switch may contribute to AMD

A signaling pathway controlled by transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) could be involved in the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

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