The Retina Research Group includes members of basic science laboratories conducting research in all aspects of retina and clinical physician-scientists involved in management, treatment and clinical research of various retinal diseases. The RRG meets quarterly on the first Tuesday of the month to discuss research and clinical activities of individual groups, followed by a business meeting to cover funding and collaborative opportunities and group management. The RRG is dedicated to multidisciplinary approaches involving the areas of cellular and molecular biology, genetics, epidemiology and clinical trials, as well as structural analysis, pathology and physiology.
Mission
The mission of the group is to foster a greater understanding of the development, structure and function of the normal and diseased retina for the purpose of preserving and improving vision.
Vision Statement
The principle vision of the RRG is to provide state of the art research programs and play a leadership role in the field nationally and internationally through excellence in our research programs to advance the understanding of retinal function and disease as well as to provide treatments and cures of retinal diseases.
Membership and Departmental Affiliation
Faculty and staff from several department and schools across the UW campus are members of the RRG, and include the department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (DOVS), Genetics and Pediatrics in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.
Name |
Department |
Interest |
| Michael Altaweel | DOVS | Disease and surgery of the retina and vitreous |
| Barbara A. Blodi | DOVS | Medical retina, clinical trials, retinal imaging |
| Ronald Danis | DOVS | Retinal disorders and imaging technology |
| Justin L. Gottlieb | DOVS | Disease and surgery of the retina and vitreous |
| Curtis R. Brandt | DOVS | Retinal gene therapy and immunology |
| Ronald Klein | DOVS | Ophthalmic epidemiology and related fields |
| T. Michael Nork | DOVS | Abnormalities of outer retina. Disease and surgery of the retina and vitreous |
| Kim Stepien | DOVS | Inherited retinal degenerations |
| David M. Gamm | DOVS | Retinal diseases and stem cells |
| Aparna Lakkaraju | DOVS | Cellular bases of retinal diseases |
| Julie Mares | DOVS | Epidemiology, diet and nutrition and eye diseases |
| Nader Sheibani | DOVS | Neovascular Eye diseases |
| James Ver Hoeve | DOVS | Visual electrophysiology |
| Akihiro Ikeda | Genetics | Synaptic connections in the eye |
| Bikash Pattnaik | Pediatrics | Retinopathy of prematurity and ion channelopathy |
| Christine Sorenson | Pediatrics | Cell death and ocular vascular homeostasis |
Technologies Utilized
- Cellular and animal models of retinal degenerations
- Drug Delivery systems
- Electrophysiology
- Gene therapy
- Genetics
- High-resolution imaging of cells and tissues using confocal microscopy and electron microscopy
- Non-invasive retinal imaging technologies
- Bioinformatics
- Pharmacology
- Biochemistry and molecular biology
- Vascular biology
- Stem cells
- Clinical trials
Areas of Expected/Desired Growth
The future mission for the retina research group is to maintain the highest level of excellence in developing and delivering treatments for retinal diseases. Potential areas of expansion include cell biology, genetics, molecular biology, physiology, clinical trials, imaging, epidemiology and nutrition.