Advancing knowledge of human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases.
A story in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reflects on the history of stem cells and its future direction. Two decades after the first stem cell breakthrough, the promising biological discovery is beginning to take steps toward clinical trials. Waisman Center investigator David Gamm, who researches stem cell therapies for diseases of the eye, reflects on …
Waisman Center investigator David Gamm, MD, PhD, and affiliate Krishanu Saha, PhD, are part of a team of scientists at the University of Wisconsin- Madison who were recently granted a major award from the National Institute of Health’s Somatic Cell Genome Editing Consortium (SCGE). This award will support research focused on developing quality control methods …
Cell type-specific investigations commonly employ gene reporters or single-cell (sc) analytical techniques. However, reporter line development is arduous and generally limited to a single gene of interest, while scRNA-seq frequently yields equivocal results that preclude definitive cell identification.
A decade after scientists announced the development of induced pluripotent stem cells, Waisman investigators, including Su-Chun Zhang and David Gamm, continue to use these cells to research and develop potential therapies for several disorders and conditions, such as ALS, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, and macular degeneration.
Title: Interconversion of early VSX2WT and VSX2R200Q hiPSC-OV phenotypes by pharmacological manipulation of WNT signaling. Legend: Pharmacological manipulation of the WNT signaling pathway during in vitro retinogenesis in hiPSCs affects the cell fate decision between retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and retinal neurons (neuroretina). In wild type human iPS cells (hiPSCs), augmenting WNT signaling increases RPE …
Title: Pharmacological modulation of photoreceptor outer segment degradation in Best disease patient-derived hiPSC-RPE Legend: (a) Representative western blot analysis comparing the amount of the POS protein RHO in untreated and VPA-treated (500 µmol/l) BD hiPSC-RPE at 0 and 24 hours after POS feeding. (b) Quantification of RHO levels 24 hours after POS feeding in untreated versus …
A team of eye researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have used a custom stem cell model of a rare but blinding eye disease to test whether a commonly used drug might offer hope for treatment.
June is Vision Research Awareness Month and the Waisman Center is home to a comprehensive vision research program led by David Gamm, MD, PhD. Gamm, a Waisman Center investigator, associate professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences, and Director of the McPherson Eye Research Institute, studies human retinal development and potential therapies for retinal degenerative diseases.
Katie Sweeney, Waisman Center Communications The McPherson Eye Research Institute unveiled its new exhibit, Seeing Beyond Disabilities: Unique Insights, on January 29 in the Mandelbaum and Albert Vision Gallery at the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research. The exhibit features artwork by individuals with developmental disabilities and includes 15 pieces from the Friends of the Waisman Center’s Harvey A. Stevens International Collection …
Inherited and acquired degenerative diseases of the retina are a significant cause of incurable vision loss worldwide. David Gamm, MD, PhD, utilizes stem cell technology to test ways to preserve or restore vision in people afflicted by blinding disorders. Gamm and 160 researchers at the Waisman Center and the McPherson Eye Research Institute work to develop treatments for …
