Retina

Gene Therapy Platform Developed by Neena Haider, PhD, Granted FDA Orphan Drug Designation

February 27, 2019

OCU400, a novel gene therapy platform developed by Neena Haider, PhD, Harvard Medical School Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Associate Scientist at the Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass. Eye and Ear, and licensed to biopharmaceutical company Ocugen, Inc., has been granted orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).... Read more about Gene Therapy Platform Developed by Neena Haider, PhD, Granted FDA Orphan Drug Designation

ACRC/Macula 2019 a Success

January 18, 2019

Panel at ACRC Macula 2019 The Atlantic Coast Retina Club (ACRC) Meeting and Macula 2019 Conference was held at Mass. Eye and Ear and the Seaport Hotel on January 10-12.... Read more about ACRC/Macula 2019 a Success

Neuroglial Remodeling After Injury May Contribute to Retinal Degeneration

November 19, 2018

Eleftherios Paschalis head shot A study led by Eleftherios Paschalis, PhD, describes a mechanism by which patients with acute ocular injuries become susceptible to progressive neurodegeneration long after the injury has taken place.... Read more about Neuroglial Remodeling After Injury May Contribute to Retinal Degeneration

Microglia protect sensory cells needed for vision after retinal detachment

June 19, 2018

photo of microglia in the retina

Pictured above: Retinal microglia (green) and the retinal vasculature (magenta). Photo credit: Dong-Ho Park, M.D., Connor Lab.

A research team at Massachusetts Eye and Ear has shown that microglia, the primary immune cells of the brain and retina, play a protective role in response to retinal detachment.... Read more about Microglia protect sensory cells needed for vision after retinal detachment

Mass. Eye and Ear performs first FDA-approved gene therapy procedure for inherited disease

March 20, 2018

Boston, Mass. — Massachusetts Eye and Ear made medical history on Tuesday by performing the first post-FDA approval gene therapy for patients with a form of inherited blindness. The occasion marks the beginning of a new era in medicine, as it is the first time any FDA-approved gene therapy has been given to a patient for any inherited disease.

The treatment, commercially identified as Luxturna, was developed by Spark Therapeutics and ...

Trainees receive research awards and fellowship from VitreoRetinal Surgery Foundation

December 29, 2017

The VitreoRetinal Surgery Foundation recognized four trainees with research awards and fellowships, enabling them to pursue research investigations at Mass. Eye and Ear and Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass. Eye and Ear. The VitreoRetinal Surgery Foundation (VRSF) strives to promote education and research related to retinal and macular diseases. They support research by funding awards for young investigators with a potential for a career devoted to retinal disease and research. The VRSF has established a competitive Research Award/Fellowship to encourage young physicians to...

Ocugen Expands Focus on Inherited Retinal Disorders by Licensing Novel Modifier Gene Therapy Platform

December 20, 2017

Ocugen, Inc. has obtained an exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialize future ophthalmology products based on groundbreaking technology developed by Neena Haider, PhD, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology....

Santiago Delgado-Tirado receives Alfonso Martin Escudero Foundation Fellowship

October 31, 2017

Santiago Delgado-Tirado, MD, MSc, a research fellow under the mentorship ofJoseph Arboleda-Velasquez, MD, PhD, and Leo Kim, MD, PhD, received the Alfonso Martin Escudero Foundation Fellowship. This fellowship, which is in the amount of $88,500 over two years beginning in January 2018, was given for his project, "Runx1...

Dr. Stefater receives vitreoretinal scholarship

October 2, 2017

James “Tony” Stefater, MD, PhD, a vitreoretinal fellow at Mass. Eye and Ear, received the 2017 Vitreoretinal Research Scholarship from the Robert Machemer Foundation in the amount of $20,000 over one year. His winning project, “Development of a novel post-operative intraocular retinal tamponade agent,” focuses on developing a better post-operative retinal tamponade agent that will improve clinical outcomes and eliminate the post-operative...

Genome editing with CRISPR-Cas9 prevents angiogenesis of the retina

July 27, 2017

Powerful new technology may lead to novel therapies to prevent vision loss, blindness in those with diseases of the retina

Boston, Mass. — A research team from the Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear has successfully prevented mice from developing angiogenesis of the retina—the sensory tissue at the back of the eye—using gene-editing techniques with CRISPR-Cas9. Angiogenesis causes vision loss and blindness and is a feature of several degenerative eye conditions, including proliferative diabetic...