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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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48 items
Ophthalmic images from the study probands exhibit variable forms of retinal dystrophy as shown on fundus photos, fundus autoflorescence and optical coherence tomography.

Scientists discover gene responsible for rare, inherited eye disease

Scientists at the National Eye Institute and their colleagues have identified a gene responsible for some inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), which are a group of disorders that damage the eye’s light-sensing retina and threatens vision.
Decorative

U. Minnesota researchers discover potential new pathway to prevent age-related macular degeneration

The team identified small molecules that can reduce the production of proteins linked to age-related macular degeneration.
Illustration of a DNA spiral

Scientists unravel genetic basis for neurodegenerative disorders that affect vision

Led by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a team of scientists has uncovered the complex molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disorders linked to the gene PNPLA6.

New gene-editing technique holds potential for treating childhood blindness

Using a new experimental technique to fix faulty eye cells, a team led by University of Wisconsin researchers was able to repair a gene mutation that causes one form of childhood blindness.
Rhodopsin-bound nanobodies

UC Irvine researchers discover a nanobody which may lead to treatment for retinitis pigmentosa

University of California Irvine (UCI) researchers believe they have discovered a special antibody that may lead to a treatment for an inherited eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa.
Eye with coloboma

Zebrafish model helps explain eye development

Developed by NIH scientists, the model also sheds light on developmental eye disorders such as coloboma.
Image of retina

High-tech imaging reveals details about rare eye disorder

Using a new imaging technique, researchers from the National Eye Institute have determined that retinal lesions from vitelliform macular dystrophy (VMD) vary by gene mutation.
Multicolored image of photoreceptors and their long connecting processes, called axons, within a stem cell-derived retinal organoid

U. Wisconsin eye research uncovers how stem cell photoreceptors reach their targets

A new study reveals how photoreceptors grown from stem cells might extend biological wires, known as axons, to contact existing neurons.
Comparison of two retinal images.

Gene therapy for rare eye disease safe but lacks efficacy in early trial

A 28-patient phase 1 gene therapy clinical trial for the degenerative retinal disease Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) found no significant safety concerns; however, treatment failed to improve or slow vision loss, with even the highest dose.
Group of cells tinted purple in the middle and pink at the edges representing a human induced stem cell colony from a patient with albinism.

NIH researchers develop first stem cell model of albinism to study related eye conditions

Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) have developed the first patient-derived stem cell model for studying eye conditions related to oculocutaneous albinism (OCA).