Neurodegeneration research at the Waisman Center from gene to organelle to cell to brain
Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, and retinitis pigmentosa all have different manifestations and affect different body functions, but they are all connected by one mechanism: neurodegeneration.
December 1, 2023Hope for Failing Eyes
Retinal cells grown from stem cells can reach out and connect with neighbors, according to a new UW study, completing a “handshake” that may show the cells are ready for trials in humans with degenerative eye disorders.
March 16, 2023David Gamm works to bring research and medicine into a single vision
David Gamm is adept at keeping multiple things in focus. Gamm, MD, PhD, is a Waisman investigator, director of the McPherson Eye Research Institute, and professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences. With one eye trained on patients, he treats children in the pediatric ophthalmology clinic.
February 14, 2023Lab-grown retinal eye cells make successful connections, open door for clinical trials to treat blindness
Retinal cells grown from stem cells can reach out and connect with neighbors, according to a new study, completing a “handshake” that may show the cells are ready for trials in humans with degenerative eye disorders.
January 4, 2023A science trailblazer retires: Stem cell researcher James Thomson’s legacy changed the future of biology
James Thomson helped the scientific world turn its attention to the shape-shifting stem cells that give rise to all of the building blocks of complex living organisms, from skin and bone, to hearts and blood, to neurons and brains.
March 4, 2022UW study finds photoreceptor cells from retinal organoids can replicate key functions of vision
Source: School of Medicine and Public Health Image above: A mature retinal organoid (left) and its cone photoreceptors Researchers from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health have successfully shown that a …
February 8, 2022New funding moves David Gamm’s retinitis pigmentosa treatment research into phase two
A grant from Fighting Blindness Canada will allow Dave Gamm to further test the efficacy of an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived treatment that aims to replace damaged photoreceptor cells and restore some measure of vision.
December 7, 2021UW vision researchers partner with U.S. Department of Defense to develop stem cell therapy for combat-related eye injuries
The new project, titled Outer Retina Reconstruction for Combat Afflictions or ORRCA, is a collaboration between the McPherson Eye Research Insitute at UW‒Madison, the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, the UW College of Engineering, the University of Birmingham (UK) and British Ministry of Defence and the National Eye Institute. It is funded by a grant for more than $5 million from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).
January 11, 2021UW researchers devise approach to treat rare, incurable form of blindness
Waisman Center investigator David Gamm, MD, PhD, and Waisman affiliate Kris Saha, PhD, have published a proof-of-concept method to correct Best disease – an inherited form of macular degeneration that causes blindness, and that is …
August 3, 2020- More Vision posts
Advancing knowledge of human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases.