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The Retina Research Group

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
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.

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Last updated on: May 29, 2019