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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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24 items
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.
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.
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...
Grantee News

Promising treatment for disease that destroys eye tissue

Researchers at the University of North Texas Health Science Center have shown that the MDM2 inhibitor class of drugs can treat uveitis in mice.
Physician examines patient's eye

Therapy applied directly inside the eye best for treating uveitic macular edema

Delivery of corticosteroids directly into the eye is more effective than injections adjacent to the eye, according to results from a comparative clinical trial of macular edema in patients with noninfectious uveitis.
Eyes with autoimmune uveitis show increased inflammatory cells in the eye (indicated by arrows). Treatment with p35 reduces this inflammatory response. Credit: Charles Egwuagu.

NIH researchers unleash therapeutic potential of IL-35

NIH scientists have simplified manufacturing and dosing of a potential drug candidate for the autoimmune eye disease uveitis—a vision-threatening condition that accounts for about 15 percent of blindness in the U.S.
National Eye Institute

Systemic therapy outperforms intraocular implant for treating uveitis

Systemic therapy consisting of corticosteroids and immunosuppressants preserved vision of uveitis patients better – and had fewer adverse outcomes – than a long-lasting corticosteroid intraocular implant, according to a clinical trial funded by NEI.
Schematic of microbiota interacting with ocular immune system.

In Uveitis, Bacteria in Gut May Instruct Immune Cells to Attack the Eye

The inflammatory eye disorder autoimmune uveitis occurs when a person’s immune system goes awry, attacking proteins in the eye.
A healthy mouse retina (left) and distinctive folds in a mouse retina damaged by autoimmune uveitis (right). Credit: Wang et al. Nature Medicine, April 2014.

Soothing cells, peaceful protein could hold promise for treating autoimmune uveitis

Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) have found a unique cell type that, in tests on mice, can protect against uveitis—a group of inflammatory diseases that affect the eye and can cause vision loss.
Dr. Krzysztof Palczewski

Translational research through teamwork

Imagine you are building a house. You would need a team of specialists, including an architect, a general contractor, carpenters, an electrician, a plumber and many others.

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