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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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Researchers discover therapeutic target to aid in glaucoma treatment

March 13, 2023

Indiana University researchers have identified a new therapeutic target that could lead to more effective treatment of glaucoma.
Microscopy image of red fluorescent retinal neurons

Lab-grown retinal eye cells make successful connections, open door for clinical trials to treat blindness

January 4, 2023

Retinal cells grown from stem cells can reach out and connect with neighbors, according to a new study, completing a “handshake” that may show the cells are ready for trials in humans with degenerative eye disorders.
Green-stained limbal stem cells track towards center of mouse cornea.

Dry eye disease alters how the eye’s cornea heals itself after injury

January 2, 2023

Studying mice, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that proteins made by stem cells that regenerate the cornea may be new targets for treating and preventing corneal injuries in people with dry eye.
Printed cells

NIH researchers use 3D bioprinting to create eye tissue

December 22, 2022

Scientists used patient stem cells and 3D bioprinting to produce eye tissue that will advance understanding of the mechanisms of blinding diseases.
Fluorescently labeled injured zebrafish retina.

Study identifies a signaling cascade behind retina regeneration in zebrafish

December 9, 2022

Research from University of Michigan scientists reveals Vegf-Notch signaling system that is activated in the injured retina, gives Muller glia stem cell properties.

Researchers investigate neuron differentiation in fruit fly brains

November 29, 2022

Researchers from the University of Illinois shed light on how neural stem cells called neuroblasts divide multiple times to sequentially produce neurons of specialized function.
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Putting stem cell-based therapies in context

November 16, 2022

Rogue clinics offer stem cell-based therapies that haven’t been tested for safety and efficacy. When communicating to the public about stem cell-based therapies, it is important to put any treatment claims in context.
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NEI researchers home in on a new cause of Stargardt disease

October 27, 2022

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).
RPE cell

NEI scientists publish protocol for making patient-derived eye tissue

September 28, 2022

The protocol gives step-by-step instructions, starting with patient-derived pluripotent stem cells, transitioning them to retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells and finally maturing them into RPE tissue.
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First U.S. patient receives autologous stem cell therapy to treat dry AMD

August 31, 2022

The patient received the therapy as part of a clinical trial that is the first in the United States to use replacement tissues from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells.