Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Lincoln, Rhode Island based firm, has announced that the FDA has granted Fast Track designations for the firm's lead product candidate, the NT-501, for treatment of visual loss in two indications: retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and dry form of age-related macular degeneration (dry AMD). Such designations should allow the company to accelerate clinical development of its continuous, long-term release formulation of the therapeutic protein Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor (CNTF), designed to be released into the vitreous body from a proprietary Encapsulated Cell Technology (ECT) device.
More about Neurotech's technology platform and the NT-501:
Neurotech's core technology platform is Encapsulated Cell Technology (ECT), a unique technology that allows for the long term, sustained delivery of therapeutic factors to the back of the eye.
ECT implants consist of cells that have been genetically modified to produce a desired therapeutic factor that are encapsulated in a section of semi-permeable hollow fiber membrane. The diffusive characteristics of the hollow fiber membrane are designed to promote long-term cell survival by allowing influx of oxygen and nutrients while simultaneously preventing direct contact of the encapsulated cells with the cellular and molecular elements of the immune system. The cells continuously produce the therapeutic protein which diffuses out of the implant at the target site. ECT therefore enables the controlled, continuous delivery of therapeutic factors directly to the retina, bypassing the blood-retina barrier. Long-term protein delivery (18 months) in the vitreous cavity of the eye has consistently been achieved when ECT devices containing human cells genetically engineered to secrete CNTF have been implanted in a highly disparate mammalian species (rabbits). In addition, the implants can be retrieved, providing an added level of safety as well as the ability to reverse or adjust therapy, if needed.
ECT based products can be tailored to address the three main clinical manifestations of retinal diseases: degeneration of photoreceptors and/or ganglion cells in the neural retina, vascular proliferation and inflammation. A number of proteins have been discovered in the field of ophthalmology that possess powerful neurotrophic, anti-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory properties. These proteins have the potential to significantly slow or halt disease processes in the eye. ECT represents a unique platform for the safe and effective delivery of various factors for the treatment of these chronic ophthalmic diseases as follows:
# neurotrophic factors for the treatment of retinal degeneration in Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), Geographic Atrophy (serious condition associated with the Dry form of Age-related Macular Degeneration), Glaucoma, Retinal Vein Occlusion and others.
# anti-angiogenic factors for the treatment of vascular proliferation in Diabetic Retinopathy and the Wet form of AMD, and for the treatment of abnormal vascular permeability for various forms of Macular Edema.
# anti-inflammatory factors for the treatment of Ocular Inflammations (Uveitis)
The current product is 6 mm in length and consists of genetically-modified human cells packaged in a semi-permeable hollow fiber membrane with a suture loop at one end to anchor the implant to the sclera. In contrast to gene therapy, ECT does not modify the host genome. The implant is surgically placed in the vitreous body. The implant is sutured in a manner that allows for its retrieval when desired. The surgical procedure is performed as an out-patient procedure in about 20 minutes...
... NT-501, consists of encapsulated human cells genetically modified to secrete ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF). NT-501 is designed to continually deliver a low, safe and therapeutic dose of CNTF, a well-established neurotrophic factor, into the back of the eye. The Company believes that CNTF activates dying retinal photoreceptors and protects them from degeneration.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
FDA OKs First Human Trials of Embryonic Stem Cells
By Alexis Madrigal
January 23, 2009 | 4:10:36 PM
The Federal Drug Administration has approved the first human trials of embryonic stem cells — a sign of a new, liberal attitude toward stem cell research, which was hamstrung by the Bush administration.
Starting this summer, the biotech firm Geron will treat a small group of spinal-cord injury patients using neurons derived from stem cells, marking the first time embryonic stem cells will be tested in humans.
The trial is designed to test the safety of the treatment, not how well it works. Nonetheless, it's a huge first step for the field.
"It signals to me that we have the primary regulatory authorities on board for embryonic stem cells," said Alan Trounson, president of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, a $3 billion state initiative to support stem cell research. "That really is a tremendous piece of news."
Under the Bush administration, stem cell research was slowed by an executive order, signed in August 2001, that (severely) restricted the types of stem cells and stem cell research that could be conducted. President Barack Obama is widely expected to lift Bush’s executive order, perhaps as soon as next week.
Working in a handful of medical centers around the country, Geron will treat eight to 10 recent paraplegics, who can use their arms but not their legs. The patients will receive an injection of neurons to the site of the damage, followed by a short treatment of anti-rejection drugs.
Previous animal studies suggest the new neurons will repair damaged neurons and secrete substances to help nerves function and grow.
Amy Rick, president of Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, a group of dozens of research institutions that support stem cell research, said the Geron trial is a milestone.
"It's hugely significant in the sense that it's the first approval of a human embryonic stem cell trial," she said. "In this week of hope and change, it feels even better."
While Geron scientists waited months for FDA approval of the stem cell treatment, they are reluctant to link the go-ahead directly to the inauguration of Obama.
A Geron spokeswoman said that the company had no evidence of political influence aiding their application.
“It’s just coincidental timing,” the spokeswoman said.
Karen Riley, an FDA spokeswoman, echoed that the timing was coincidental. "We make science-based decisions and politics is not a factor," she said.
But the new president surely didn't hurt matters. The chairman of Trounson's organization told the New York Times, "I think this approval is directly tied to the change in administration."
The approval is expected to the first of several trials involving embryonic stem cells. A recent CAMR report found that nine companies, including Geron, were in the process of developing human embryonic stem cell treatments.
Embryonic stem cells are like blank slates that can be transformed into different types of tissue. They've been hailed as the next big thing in medicine ever since University of Wisconsin scientist James Thomson showed their ability to regenerate in 1998. Since then, stem cells have been like a high school star turned NBA draft pick — talented and expensive but undisciplined and perhaps not quite ready for the glare of the big game. Like many biotechnology techniques, the lag between scientific discovery and clinical treatment can be decades.
Still, the Regenerative Medicine Institute’s Trounson, who was a stem cell scientist in Australia before heading the California institute, said that experimental treatments are outpacing his expectations.
"We're running an agency funding this work and I'm astounded at what's happening in this space,” he said.
Trounson said there’s evidence in animal trials that stem cells are effective in treating ailments as varied as diabetes, Alzheimers, multiple scleorsis and macular degeneration.
“It’s just fantastic,” Trounson said. "And I would expect some of these to enter clinical trials sooner, rather than later."
His agency expects to fund up to a dozen scientists who think they can submit their stem cell work to the FDA for clinical trial approval within four years.
From there, those so-called investigational new drugs will have to follow the path that Geron's treatment did. The company submitted its application early in 2008. It was then put on hold in May 2008 and kicked back to the company for further review. Seven months later, the company resubmitted the application and received approval Wednesday, the day after the inauguration.
That said, Obama's political influence is likely to invigorate a field that — despite impressive state-level and private efforts — has been ham-strung by Federal regulation and the specter of increased government regulation.
"With President Obama there, there will be a big change not only in government administration and the public sector, but I think it will encourage the pharmaceutical companies to be involved as well," Trounson said.
January 23, 2009 | 4:10:36 PM
The Federal Drug Administration has approved the first human trials of embryonic stem cells — a sign of a new, liberal attitude toward stem cell research, which was hamstrung by the Bush administration.
Starting this summer, the biotech firm Geron will treat a small group of spinal-cord injury patients using neurons derived from stem cells, marking the first time embryonic stem cells will be tested in humans.
The trial is designed to test the safety of the treatment, not how well it works. Nonetheless, it's a huge first step for the field.
"It signals to me that we have the primary regulatory authorities on board for embryonic stem cells," said Alan Trounson, president of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, a $3 billion state initiative to support stem cell research. "That really is a tremendous piece of news."
Under the Bush administration, stem cell research was slowed by an executive order, signed in August 2001, that (severely) restricted the types of stem cells and stem cell research that could be conducted. President Barack Obama is widely expected to lift Bush’s executive order, perhaps as soon as next week.
Working in a handful of medical centers around the country, Geron will treat eight to 10 recent paraplegics, who can use their arms but not their legs. The patients will receive an injection of neurons to the site of the damage, followed by a short treatment of anti-rejection drugs.
Previous animal studies suggest the new neurons will repair damaged neurons and secrete substances to help nerves function and grow.
Amy Rick, president of Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, a group of dozens of research institutions that support stem cell research, said the Geron trial is a milestone.
"It's hugely significant in the sense that it's the first approval of a human embryonic stem cell trial," she said. "In this week of hope and change, it feels even better."
While Geron scientists waited months for FDA approval of the stem cell treatment, they are reluctant to link the go-ahead directly to the inauguration of Obama.
A Geron spokeswoman said that the company had no evidence of political influence aiding their application.
“It’s just coincidental timing,” the spokeswoman said.
Karen Riley, an FDA spokeswoman, echoed that the timing was coincidental. "We make science-based decisions and politics is not a factor," she said.
But the new president surely didn't hurt matters. The chairman of Trounson's organization told the New York Times, "I think this approval is directly tied to the change in administration."
The approval is expected to the first of several trials involving embryonic stem cells. A recent CAMR report found that nine companies, including Geron, were in the process of developing human embryonic stem cell treatments.
Embryonic stem cells are like blank slates that can be transformed into different types of tissue. They've been hailed as the next big thing in medicine ever since University of Wisconsin scientist James Thomson showed their ability to regenerate in 1998. Since then, stem cells have been like a high school star turned NBA draft pick — talented and expensive but undisciplined and perhaps not quite ready for the glare of the big game. Like many biotechnology techniques, the lag between scientific discovery and clinical treatment can be decades.
Still, the Regenerative Medicine Institute’s Trounson, who was a stem cell scientist in Australia before heading the California institute, said that experimental treatments are outpacing his expectations.
"We're running an agency funding this work and I'm astounded at what's happening in this space,” he said.
Trounson said there’s evidence in animal trials that stem cells are effective in treating ailments as varied as diabetes, Alzheimers, multiple scleorsis and macular degeneration.
“It’s just fantastic,” Trounson said. "And I would expect some of these to enter clinical trials sooner, rather than later."
His agency expects to fund up to a dozen scientists who think they can submit their stem cell work to the FDA for clinical trial approval within four years.
From there, those so-called investigational new drugs will have to follow the path that Geron's treatment did. The company submitted its application early in 2008. It was then put on hold in May 2008 and kicked back to the company for further review. Seven months later, the company resubmitted the application and received approval Wednesday, the day after the inauguration.
That said, Obama's political influence is likely to invigorate a field that — despite impressive state-level and private efforts — has been ham-strung by Federal regulation and the specter of increased government regulation.
"With President Obama there, there will be a big change not only in government administration and the public sector, but I think it will encourage the pharmaceutical companies to be involved as well," Trounson said.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
International Stem Cell Begins Pre-Clinical Testing of Its Parthenogenetic Stem Cells for Treatment of Retinal Disease First Company To Grow Human Cor
OCEANSIDE, Calif., Jan 13, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- International Stem Cell Corporation has created layered human tissue from its unique parthenogenetic stem cells and transplanted this tissue into animals in pre-clinical trials to establish a potential new treatment for human retinal diseases, such as macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa.
"Intact layers of retinal progenitor cells have been shown to restore lost visual responses in several retinal degeneration rodent models," said Dr. Hans Keirstead, Co-Director of the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center at the University of California, Irvine. "Thus, we are developing intact retinal layers derived from International Stem Cell's human parthenogenetic stem cells which could become a sustainable, FDA-approved therapeutic supply for patients with retinal degenerative diseases."
ISCO's human parthenogenetic stem cells have the potential to treat human disease yet possess key medical and ethical advantages over other kinds of stem cell products. They can be matched to common immune types and thus reduce the chance of transplant rejection among large segments of the population. Because they are created from unfertilized human eggs, they do not require the destruction of human embryos.
"We are aggressively pushing forward safe treatments for human diseases using parthenogenetic stem cells," said Jeffrey Janus, President of International Stem Cell. "If we are successful in this work, our next step is to manufacture this layered human tissue for further tests, including human trials. This illustrates the strengths of combining scientific collaborations with outside researchers such as Dr. Keirstead with ISCO's science and cell manufacturing expertise."
For more information, visit the ISCO website at: www.internationalstemcell.com.
"Intact layers of retinal progenitor cells have been shown to restore lost visual responses in several retinal degeneration rodent models," said Dr. Hans Keirstead, Co-Director of the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center at the University of California, Irvine. "Thus, we are developing intact retinal layers derived from International Stem Cell's human parthenogenetic stem cells which could become a sustainable, FDA-approved therapeutic supply for patients with retinal degenerative diseases."
ISCO's human parthenogenetic stem cells have the potential to treat human disease yet possess key medical and ethical advantages over other kinds of stem cell products. They can be matched to common immune types and thus reduce the chance of transplant rejection among large segments of the population. Because they are created from unfertilized human eggs, they do not require the destruction of human embryos.
"We are aggressively pushing forward safe treatments for human diseases using parthenogenetic stem cells," said Jeffrey Janus, President of International Stem Cell. "If we are successful in this work, our next step is to manufacture this layered human tissue for further tests, including human trials. This illustrates the strengths of combining scientific collaborations with outside researchers such as Dr. Keirstead with ISCO's science and cell manufacturing expertise."
For more information, visit the ISCO website at: www.internationalstemcell.com.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Protein Might One Day Prevent Blindness
01.07.09, 08:00 PM EST
Researchers find it prolongs lives of key vision cells in mice
THURSDAY, Jan. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers working with mice have identified a protein that appears to prolong the lives of retinal cells in both healthy and diseased eyes.
The discovery could one day lead to treatments that would prevent blindness among people genetically predisposed to develop retinal disease, the scientists said.
The protein, known as histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4), is naturally produced by both mice and humans and is typically involved in the regulation of bone and muscle development.
Reducing the amount of HDAC4 to below-normal levels appears to lead to premature photoreceptor cell death in healthy eyes, the study revealed. In contrast, increasing quantities of this protein to above-normal levels appears to protect the lifespan of these critical vision cells -- both in healthy mouse eyes and in those mice suffering from a genetic flaw, also present in humans, that gives rise to degenerative retinal disease.
The finding -- if replicated in people -- could ultimately lead to new interventions to prevent such disease-driven blindness, or even to the development of methods to restore lost sight to diseased retinas.
"There are some inherited genetic defects that lead to the death of the two types of photoreceptor cells in the eye that capture light, first directly killing the rod cells and then the cone cells which depend on rod cell survival," explained study author Bo Chen, a postdoctoral research fellow with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "So, this mutation eventually leads to complete blindness."
"But what we found," Chen noted, "is that we could actually promote the survival of these genetically affected photoreceptors by introducing more of this particular protein, even though the photoreceptors themselves continue to remain genetically defective."
Chen and his colleagues report their findings in the Jan. 9 issue of Science.
The findings are based solely on a series of neural cell experiments, focused on the retinal health of live mice, that were designed to assess the impact of both under-expression and overexpression of the HDAC4 protein.
Subsequent lab work led the researchers to determine that in sufficient quantities the protein indeed displays a protective effect against eye cell death and thereby has an "essential role in neuronal survival," they wrote.
Yet despite expressing enthusiasm for his current work, Chen emphasized the ongoing nature of the effort.
"Even though the genetics are the same in mice and humans, at this stage it's really very experimental," he stressed. "And much more work needs to be done before we know this will be efficacious in humans."
Nevertheless, Dr. Robert Cykiert, a clinical associate professor of ophthalmology at New York University Langone Medical Center in New York City, described the current work as an "impressive" effort.
"Clearly a lot of people go blind from retinal diseases," he said, noting that glaucoma and macular degeneration are two serious conditions that result from retinal cell death. "And this protein they worked with appears to be what we call neuro-protective, in that it has protective benefits on both the photoreceptor layer that gets damaged in macular degeneration as well as on the ganglion cell layer which is damaged by glaucoma. So this finding could actually turn out to be a major accomplishment, affecting a lot of patients down the road."
However, Rando Allikmets, an associate professor of ophthalmology, pathology and cell biology at Columbia University in New York City, took Chen's cue in cautioning that the true measure of the current work awaits human clinical trials.
"It's a very good study, an interesting observation and a very encouraging finding that will definitely lead to an investigation of this pathway for possible therapeutic targets," he said. "But the problem is that they have identified a protein involved with very basic functions -- including muscle development and bone growth -- so it's very difficult to predict if what they did in mice can be done in humans at all and, even if it can, if it will work in the same way."
Cykiert agreed.
"Of course, it's a mouse study," he acknowledged. "So you certainly don't know if what they've found will be reproduced in patients. And in any case, it would take 10 years to develop any drugs from this that might benefit people. So, yes, it's just a first step."
Researchers find it prolongs lives of key vision cells in mice
THURSDAY, Jan. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers working with mice have identified a protein that appears to prolong the lives of retinal cells in both healthy and diseased eyes.
The discovery could one day lead to treatments that would prevent blindness among people genetically predisposed to develop retinal disease, the scientists said.
The protein, known as histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4), is naturally produced by both mice and humans and is typically involved in the regulation of bone and muscle development.
Reducing the amount of HDAC4 to below-normal levels appears to lead to premature photoreceptor cell death in healthy eyes, the study revealed. In contrast, increasing quantities of this protein to above-normal levels appears to protect the lifespan of these critical vision cells -- both in healthy mouse eyes and in those mice suffering from a genetic flaw, also present in humans, that gives rise to degenerative retinal disease.
The finding -- if replicated in people -- could ultimately lead to new interventions to prevent such disease-driven blindness, or even to the development of methods to restore lost sight to diseased retinas.
"There are some inherited genetic defects that lead to the death of the two types of photoreceptor cells in the eye that capture light, first directly killing the rod cells and then the cone cells which depend on rod cell survival," explained study author Bo Chen, a postdoctoral research fellow with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "So, this mutation eventually leads to complete blindness."
"But what we found," Chen noted, "is that we could actually promote the survival of these genetically affected photoreceptors by introducing more of this particular protein, even though the photoreceptors themselves continue to remain genetically defective."
Chen and his colleagues report their findings in the Jan. 9 issue of Science.
The findings are based solely on a series of neural cell experiments, focused on the retinal health of live mice, that were designed to assess the impact of both under-expression and overexpression of the HDAC4 protein.
Subsequent lab work led the researchers to determine that in sufficient quantities the protein indeed displays a protective effect against eye cell death and thereby has an "essential role in neuronal survival," they wrote.
Yet despite expressing enthusiasm for his current work, Chen emphasized the ongoing nature of the effort.
"Even though the genetics are the same in mice and humans, at this stage it's really very experimental," he stressed. "And much more work needs to be done before we know this will be efficacious in humans."
Nevertheless, Dr. Robert Cykiert, a clinical associate professor of ophthalmology at New York University Langone Medical Center in New York City, described the current work as an "impressive" effort.
"Clearly a lot of people go blind from retinal diseases," he said, noting that glaucoma and macular degeneration are two serious conditions that result from retinal cell death. "And this protein they worked with appears to be what we call neuro-protective, in that it has protective benefits on both the photoreceptor layer that gets damaged in macular degeneration as well as on the ganglion cell layer which is damaged by glaucoma. So this finding could actually turn out to be a major accomplishment, affecting a lot of patients down the road."
However, Rando Allikmets, an associate professor of ophthalmology, pathology and cell biology at Columbia University in New York City, took Chen's cue in cautioning that the true measure of the current work awaits human clinical trials.
"It's a very good study, an interesting observation and a very encouraging finding that will definitely lead to an investigation of this pathway for possible therapeutic targets," he said. "But the problem is that they have identified a protein involved with very basic functions -- including muscle development and bone growth -- so it's very difficult to predict if what they did in mice can be done in humans at all and, even if it can, if it will work in the same way."
Cykiert agreed.
"Of course, it's a mouse study," he acknowledged. "So you certainly don't know if what they've found will be reproduced in patients. And in any case, it would take 10 years to develop any drugs from this that might benefit people. So, yes, it's just a first step."
Saturday, January 3, 2009
In vivo 3D cellular imaging of eyes is aim of extended research grant
DECEMBER 30, 2008--The National Eye Institute (Bethesda, MD) has awarded a $5 million research grant to ophthalmologist John S. Werner of the University of California-Davis and researchers at three other universities. The grant will fund continued development of technology for three-dimensional imaging of cells in the living eye.
The studies, part of the next five-year phase of a Bioengineering Research Partnership, could benefit increasing numbers of patients suffering from glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. Cell-level imaging of eyes would provide significant advances in understanding the origins of retinal and optic nerve disease and in evaluating novel therapies for a wide spectrum of blinding diseases.
"Our project has been described as the Hubble telescope of the eye," said Werner, the project's principal investigator and a professor at the UC Davis Health System Eye Center.
"Vision and visual disorders begin at the cellular and molecular levels, yet the ability to visualize most cellular structures in vivo continues to elude scientists and clinicians," said Werner, whose research interests include changes in vision across the life span and diseases of the retina and optic nerve. "Despite extraordinary advances in retinal imaging, only a small fraction of human retinal cells have been visualized in the living eye."
The first phase of the partnership, started in 2003, combined adaptive optics and optical coherence tomography (OCT) to provide high-lateral and high-axial resolution, respectively. The initial phase also was funded by a five-year, $5 million grant from the National Eye Institute.
Led by Werner, investigators used this new instrumentation to create volume images of structures previously only visible with histology, including the photoreceptor outer segments, Fibers of Henle, individual optic nerve fiber bundles, detailed structures within the drusen, or lesions, of macular degeneration patients, and the fine structure of the lamina cribosa of the optic nerve. They developed instrumentation with sufficient resolution to image all the major retinal neurons in three dimensions.
However, while the resolution of their instruments reached the cellular scale, many cells and structures of interest were of low contrast. As a result, the major engineering focus of the next five years will be on contrast enhancement through additional imaging techniques. The resulting adaptive optics and optical coherence tomography instruments will permit human in vivo imaging with sufficient resolution and contrast to visualize the smallest of cells in the human retina.
Partner institutions include Duke University, Department of Bioengineering; Indiana University, Department of Optometry; and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Physics and Advanced Technologies Section.
The project's engineering aims have parallel clinical/vision science objectives, including advancing the understanding of changes in cell layers associated with the most common worldwide diseases leading to blindness, including age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma.
More information:
John Werner's Vision Science and Advanced Retinal Imaging lab
The studies, part of the next five-year phase of a Bioengineering Research Partnership, could benefit increasing numbers of patients suffering from glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. Cell-level imaging of eyes would provide significant advances in understanding the origins of retinal and optic nerve disease and in evaluating novel therapies for a wide spectrum of blinding diseases.
"Our project has been described as the Hubble telescope of the eye," said Werner, the project's principal investigator and a professor at the UC Davis Health System Eye Center.
"Vision and visual disorders begin at the cellular and molecular levels, yet the ability to visualize most cellular structures in vivo continues to elude scientists and clinicians," said Werner, whose research interests include changes in vision across the life span and diseases of the retina and optic nerve. "Despite extraordinary advances in retinal imaging, only a small fraction of human retinal cells have been visualized in the living eye."
The first phase of the partnership, started in 2003, combined adaptive optics and optical coherence tomography (OCT) to provide high-lateral and high-axial resolution, respectively. The initial phase also was funded by a five-year, $5 million grant from the National Eye Institute.
Led by Werner, investigators used this new instrumentation to create volume images of structures previously only visible with histology, including the photoreceptor outer segments, Fibers of Henle, individual optic nerve fiber bundles, detailed structures within the drusen, or lesions, of macular degeneration patients, and the fine structure of the lamina cribosa of the optic nerve. They developed instrumentation with sufficient resolution to image all the major retinal neurons in three dimensions.
However, while the resolution of their instruments reached the cellular scale, many cells and structures of interest were of low contrast. As a result, the major engineering focus of the next five years will be on contrast enhancement through additional imaging techniques. The resulting adaptive optics and optical coherence tomography instruments will permit human in vivo imaging with sufficient resolution and contrast to visualize the smallest of cells in the human retina.
Partner institutions include Duke University, Department of Bioengineering; Indiana University, Department of Optometry; and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Physics and Advanced Technologies Section.
The project's engineering aims have parallel clinical/vision science objectives, including advancing the understanding of changes in cell layers associated with the most common worldwide diseases leading to blindness, including age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma.
More information:
John Werner's Vision Science and Advanced Retinal Imaging lab
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