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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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60 items
Zebrafish

Could a tiny fish hold the key to curing blindness?

NEI-funded scientists are hacking the zebrafish’s innate regenerative capacity to learn how to treat human disease.
Stem cell illustastration

New stem cell technique offers hope for those with corneal damage

Harvard Medical School surgeons at Massachusetts Eye and Ear have replaced the ocular surface of four patients who each experienced chemical burns to one eye.
Microscopy image in blue and green showing mouse optic nerve

NIH-funded study identifies stem cells in optic nerve

A National Eye Institute-funded study has identified a type of stem cell called a neural progenitor cell, in a region of the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain.
Image of fluorescent cells in iris-like pattern

IU researchers model human stem cells to identify degeneration in glaucoma

Using human stem cell models, researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine found they could analyze deficits within cells damaged by glaucoma, with the potential to use this information to develop new strategies to slow the disease process.
photoreceptors

Researchers restore sight in mice by turning skin cells into light-sensing eye cells

Researchers have discovered a technique for directly reprogramming skin cells into light-sensing rod photoreceptors used for vision. The lab-made rods enabled blind mice to detect light after the cells were transplanted into the animals’ eyes.
Mouse retinal blood vessels

‘Primitive’ Stem Cells Shown to Regenerate Blood Vessels in The Eye

Researchers turn back the biological hands of time, making adult cells revert to a primitive state with the potential to replace and repair retinal blood vessels.
Schematic showing how to produce iPS cells

NIH launches first U.S. clinical trial of patient-derived stem cell therapy to replace and repair dying cells in retina

Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) are launching a clinical trial to test the safety of a novel patient-specific stem cell-based therapy to treat geographic atrophy, the advanced “dry” form of age-related macular degeneration.
Image of scanning electron micrograph

NIH, NIST researchers use artificial intelligence for quality control of stem cell-derived tissues

Researchers used artificial intelligence (AI) to evaluate stem cell-derived “patches” of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) tissue for implanting into the eyes of patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness.
Grantee News

A Road Map to Stem Cell Development

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report they have created a method of mapping how the central nervous system develops by tracking the genes expressed in cells.
Grantee News

IUPUI researchers re-create retinal microenvironment in a dish with human stem cells

IUPUI scientists have used retinal ganglion cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells to create models that better mimic the human retina.