Boston, Mass. — Researchers from Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear have uncovered two factors responsible for the chronic, lifelong nature of autoimmune disorders, which tend to “flare up” intermittently in affected patients. These two factors are cell-signaling proteins called cytokines—specifically Interleukin-7 and -15 (IL-7 and IL-15)—that are secreted by cells of the immune system and help modulate memory Th17 cells, a subset of T cells which are known to contribute to autoimmune disorders. Until now, it was unclear how Th17 cells...
Researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School have identified inflammatory factors that contribute to optic nerve damage following keratoprosthesis (KPro) implantation in a mouse model. They have also shown that blocking one of the factors, TNFa, leads to a significant decrease in optic nerve cell death, suggesting a new direction for preventing optic nerve damage in patients with keratoprosthesis implants.
The free, full-text of the 2015 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)/Champalimaud Award Lecture, “VEGF: From Discovery to Therapy,” is now available online. Joan W. Miller, MD, the Henry Willard Williams Professor and Chair of HMS Ophthalmology, presented this lecture at the 2015 ARVO Annual Meeting, and...
C. Stephen Foster, MD,Professor of Ophthalmology, part-time, at Mass. Eye and Ear, and founder of Massachusetts Eye Research & Surgery Institution (...
Vision researchers at Mass. Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School (HMS) Department of Ophthalmology have taken a first step in solving a vexing problem: how to preserve photoreceptor cells and avoid irreversible vision loss in patients following retinal detachment.
Degeneration of photoreceptors, the major light-sensing cells in the eye, is a primary cause of vision loss worldwide. Identifying the underlying causes surrounding photoreceptor cell death is paramount in order to develop new treatment strategies to prevent their loss. Retinal detachment and subsequent degeneration of...
Boston, MA Researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Schepens Eye Research Institute have reconstructed an ancient virus that is highly effective at delivering gene therapies to the liver, muscle, and retina. This discovery, published July 30 in Cell Reports, could potentially be used to design gene therapies that are not only safer and more potent than therapies currently...
Retinal Disorders: Genetic Approaches to Diagnosis and Treatment Edited by Eric A. Pierce, Richard H. Masland, and Joan W. Miller
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press announces the release of Retinal Disorders: Genetics Approaches to Diagnosis and Treatment, edited by Department of Ophthalmology faculty Eric A. Pierce,...