Blindness News and Research

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Researchers discover molecular mechanism implicated in geographic atrophy

A team of researchers, led by University of Kentucky ophthalmologist Dr. Jayakrishna Ambati, has discovered a molecular mechanism implicated in geographic atrophy, the major cause of untreatable blindness in the industrialized world.

6 Feb 2011

Study finds 24% of Spanish drivers have some vision problem

One in four Spanish drivers has a vision problem that affects their driving ability. This is the finding of a study commissioned by the association Visión y Vida in collaboration with the RACC to Aurora Torrents and Jaume Escofet, professors at EUOOT. The aim of the study is to provide objective information on the eyesight of Spanish drivers.

5 Feb 2011

UM researchers find genetic cause of retinitis pigmentosa

Researchers led by geneticists at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have identified a new gene that causes retinitis pigmentosa, a form of blindness, ending one South Florida family's nearly 20-year search for what caused three of their four children to lose their sight.

4 Feb 2011

JDRF, Eli Lilly sign agreement to fund type 1 diabetes research for re-generative medicine

Eli Lilly and Company and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation today announced that they have signed an agreement to fund early-stage research that could enable patients with type 1 diabetes to regenerate insulin-producing cells destroyed by the disease.

4 Feb 2011

Alimera reports 36-month results from ILUVIEN Phase 3 FAME study for DME

Alimera Sciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that specializes in the research, development and commercialization of prescription ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, today reported results through month 36 of the completed FAME™ Study.

4 Feb 2011

Loyola opens Comprehensive Diabetes Care Clinic in Hickory Hills

Untreated or poorly managed diabetes can cause severe health complications such as kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke and nerve damage. To help diabetic patients more easily care for their condition, Loyola has opened the Comprehensive Diabetes Care Clinic at Loyola Center for Health at Hickory Hills.

1 Feb 2011

Blind individual drives street vehicle independently

The National Federation of the Blind, the oldest and largest organization of blind people in the nation, announced today that for the first time a blind individual has driven a street vehicle in public without the assistance of a sighted person.

30 Jan 2011

Scientist receives grant for research on parasitic diseases through African biodiversity medicines

McGill University and McGill University scientist Dr. Timothy Geary received a $1-million grant today for landmark research into addressing parasitic diseases through medicines derived from African biodiversity.

25 Jan 2011

Raptor completes enrollment in DR Cysteamine Phase 3 clinical trial in cystinosis

Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp., today announced it has completed enrollment in its Phase 3 clinical trial of its proprietary delayed-release oral formulation of cysteamine bitartrate ("DR Cysteamine") in patients with nephropathic cystinosis ("cystinosis").

24 Jan 2011

Psychological Science journal releases new research findings

The insula has been implicated in evaluative and affective processes. New findings indicate that the insula may be broadly involved in integrating affective and cognitive processes. Participants rated the positivity and negativity of picture stimuli and how emotionally arousing they found the pictures to be.

24 Jan 2011

Functional tests are necessary to understand human disease despite genetic sequencing

Despite what you might have heard, genetic sequencing alone is not enough to understand human disease. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have shown that functional tests are absolutely necessary to understand the biological relevance of the results of sequencing studies as they relate to disease, using a suite of diseases known as the ciliopathies which can cause patients to have many different traits.

24 Jan 2011

AER changes journal name to Insight: Research and Practice in Visual Impairment and Blindness

With its mission of providing insight into issues surrounding blindness, the journal of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) will now express that vision in its name. Insight: Research and Practice in Visual Impairment and Blindness has been the journal's new title as of January 1, 2011.

20 Jan 2011

Meganucleases used to prevent HSV-1 infection

Cellectis, announced today that scientists from Cellectis therapeutics, the French National Center For Medical Research (CNRS) and Institut de la Vision (Paris) have used its proprietary meganucleases to successfully prevent infection of cultured cells by a Herpes Simplex virus (HSV-1).

19 Jan 2011

Regeneron, Bayer and SERI initiate new VEGF Trap-Eye Phase 3 clinical trial in myopic CNV

Regeneron and Bayer HealthCare announced initiation of a new Phase 3 clinical trial in collaboration with the Singapore Eye Research Institute investigating the efficacy and safety of VEGF Trap-Eye (aflibercept ophthalmic solution) in patients with choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) of the retina as a result of pathologic myopia.

18 Jan 2011

Antibiotic treatment may be sufficient to overcome River Blindness

The team found that a bacterium inside the worm acts as a 'disguise' for the parasite, resulting in the immune system reacting to it in an ineffective way. The bacteria protect the worm from the body's natural defences, but once the bacteria are removed with antibiotics, the immune system responds appropriately, releasing cells, called eosinophils, that kill the worm.

13 Jan 2011

VisionCare announces closing of $31 million Series E financing

VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies, Inc., a developer of advanced visual prosthetic devices designed to improve vision in patients with end-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD), announced today it has closed a Series E financing totaling $31 million.

10 Jan 2011

Scientists perform surgery on single cell to extract and examine mitochondria

Medical researchers who crave a means of exploring the genetic culprits behind a host of neuromuscular disorders may have just had their wish granted by a team working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, where scientists have performed surgery on single cells to extract and examine their mitochondria.

7 Jan 2011

Regular eye exams are critical to prevent glaucoma

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness, may strike without symptoms, is not preventable, but it is treatable. During National Glaucoma Awareness Month, The Minnesota Optometric Association (MOA) urges regular eye exams because early detection and treatment is critical to maintain healthy vision and protect the eyes from the effects of glaucoma and other potentially blinding diseases.

6 Jan 2011

Alkeus and Columbia University enter license agreement for potential therapies for dry-AMD, Stargardt disease

Alkeus Pharmaceuticals and Columbia University announced today that they have entered into a license agreement for a set of potential therapies for the treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration (dry-AMD), Stargardt disease, and other degenerative diseases of the eye. Left untreated, these conditions often lead to impaired vision and even blindness.

5 Jan 2011

Researchers develop new hand-held instrument for glaucoma screening

A new hand-held instrument involving a system of micro-force sensors, specially designed microchips, and math-based programmed procedures has been designed by researchers at the UA College of Engineering. The easy-to-use probe gently rubs the eyelid and can be used at home, threatening to replace painful eye drops and the need for a sterilized sensor.

5 Jan 2011

Blindness News and Research

Researchers discover molecular mechanism implicated in geographic atrophy

Study finds 24% of Spanish drivers have some vision problem

UM researchers find genetic cause of retinitis pigmentosa

JDRF, Eli Lilly sign agreement to fund type 1 diabetes research for re-generative medicine

Alimera reports 36-month results from ILUVIEN Phase 3 FAME study for DME

Loyola opens Comprehensive Diabetes Care Clinic in Hickory Hills

Blind individual drives street vehicle independently

Scientist receives grant for research on parasitic diseases through African biodiversity medicines

Raptor completes enrollment in DR Cysteamine Phase 3 clinical trial in cystinosis

Psychological Science journal releases new research findings

Functional tests are necessary to understand human disease despite genetic sequencing

AER changes journal name to Insight: Research and Practice in Visual Impairment and Blindness

Meganucleases used to prevent HSV-1 infection

Regeneron, Bayer and SERI initiate new VEGF Trap-Eye Phase 3 clinical trial in myopic CNV

Antibiotic treatment may be sufficient to overcome River Blindness

VisionCare announces closing of $31 million Series E financing

Scientists perform surgery on single cell to extract and examine mitochondria

Regular eye exams are critical to prevent glaucoma

Alkeus and Columbia University enter license agreement for potential therapies for dry-AMD, Stargardt disease

Researchers develop new hand-held instrument for glaucoma screening

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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