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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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A scanning electron micrograph image shows a polarized RPE monolayer on a biodegradable scaffold. The image is colored to highlight the scaffold in blue, three RPE cells (brown), and the apical processes of cells in RPE monolayer are light green.

NIH researchers rescue photoreceptors, prevent blindness in animal models of retinal degeneration

Using a novel patient-specific stem cell-based therapy, researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) prevented blindness in animal models of geographic atrophy, the advanced “dry” form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD)...
A scale with left superior colliculus neurons more activated on left and right superior colliculus neurons less activated on the right, and scale weighed down to the left. Needle on scale points to “yes”, meaning detection of relevant event.

NIH researchers discover neural code that predicts behavior

Scientists at the National Eye Institute (NEI) have found that neurons in the superior colliculus, an ancient midbrain structure found in all vertebrates, are key players in allowing us to detect visual objects and events.
Ground squirrel curled up in a nest

NIH researchers develop 'hibernation in a dish' to study how animals adapt to the cold

Researchers at the National Eye Institute have discovered cellular mechanisms that help the 13-lined ground squirrel survive hibernation.
Retina organoids mimic the structure and function of the human retina to serve as a platform to study underlying causes of retinal diseases, test new drug therapies, and provide a source of cells for transplantation. credit: David Gamm, M.D., Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison

NIH solicits next-generation retina organoids in prize competition

A competition for radical ideas in the fight against blindness will move to its next phase by challenging participants to build functioning human retina prototypes.

NIH discovery brings stem cell therapy for eye disease closer to the clinic

Scientists at the National Eye Institute (NEI) report that tiny tube-like protrusions called primary cilia on cells of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) are essential for the survival of the retina’s light-sensing photoreceptors.
chart

National Eye Institute awards prize for ‘Retina in a dish’ competition

A proposal to create a living model of the human retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye, won $90,000 in the National Eye Institute (NEI) 3-D Retina Organoid Challenge (3-D ROC).
illustration of eye

NEI-funded research points to novel therapies for dry eye

Recent strides toward understanding dry eye are leading to better and longer-lasting therapies for the millions of people in the U.S. who are affected by the condition.
Artist's rendering of photoreceptor signaling a retinal ganglion cell

Moving future regenerative therapies for blinding eye diseases to the clinic

A new report outlines steps to bringing future regenerative therapies for blinding diseases of the retina to patients. The retina is the light-sensitive tissue in the back of the eye. When stimulated, retinal neurons send visual information to the brain.
Eye

Helping the retina regenerate

A new report gives recommendations for regenerating retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), crucial neurons in the back of the eye that carry visual information to the brain.
Sequence of five images, spanning 28 days, shows how regeneration happens in the zebrafish retina. Rods are shown in green, regenerating cells are shown in red, and all other cells are labeled with blue. As the rods die, regenerating cells increase and replace the lost rods.

NIH-funded study helps explain how zebrafish recover from blinding injuries

Researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, have discovered that in zebrafish, decreased levels of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) cue the retina, the light-sensing tissue in the back of the eye, to produce stem cells

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