Blindness News and Research

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Investigators develop human iPSCs capable of repairing damaged retinal vascular tissue in mice

Investigators at Johns Hopkins report they have developed human induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) capable of repairing damaged retinal vascular tissue in mice. The stem cells, derived from human umbilical cord-blood and coaxed into an embryonic-like state, were grown without the conventional use of viruses, which can mutate genes and initiate cancers, according to the scientists.

24 Jan 2014

Viewpoints: High court weighs home health care workers' union rights; abortion protections becoming 'all but meaningless'

On Tuesday, the justices were presented with a golden opportunity to further increase inequality. The court heard arguments in Harris v. Quinn, a case testing whether home-care providers who work under a union contract with the state of Illinois can avoid paying dues that support the union's collective-bargaining work.

23 Jan 2014

Clinician scientist receives RPB Career Development Award to support eye research

The Harvard Medical School (HMS) Department of Ophthalmology has been granted a $250,000 Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) Career Development Award to support eye research conducted by Jason I. Comander, M.D., Ph.D. The support will be provided over a four-year period.

22 Jan 2014

Research under way to develop new techniques for detecting diabetic retinopathy

Research is under way to develop new techniques for detecting diabetic retinopathy at early onset with the hope of improving prevention and treatment of this major cause of blindness.

22 Jan 2014

Clues of "silent thief of sight”: Glaucoma

Glaucoma is sometimes called the "silent thief of sight" because it slowly damages the eyes and can cause irreparable harm before there is any vision loss. But this disease is stealthy in more ways than one.

22 Jan 2014

Probability of blindness from glaucoma drops by half, say researchers

A comparative long-range study by Mayo Clinic ophthalmology researchers shows that the probability of blindness from glaucoma 20 years after diagnosis has dropped by half in the last generation. The findings appear online in the "in press" section of the journal Ophthalmology.

22 Jan 2014

Study: Probability of blindness due to glaucoma has decreased by nearly half

The probability of blindness due to the serious eye disease glaucoma has decreased by nearly half since 1980, according to a study published this month in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The researchers speculate that advances in diagnosis and therapy are likely causes for the decrease, but caution that a significant proportion of patients still progress to blindness.

21 Jan 2014

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals' Iclusig now commercially available to patients in the U.S.

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the commercial availability of Iclusig (ponatinib) for adult patients with refractory chronic myeloid leukemia and Philadelphia-chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the United States. ARIAD has begun shipping Iclusig to Biologics, Inc., its exclusive specialty pharmacy, which is now filling prescriptions from physicians and distributing the cancer medicine to patients.

18 Jan 2014

Patient's EMR coupled with pharmacist intervention improves preventative care of shingles

While people over the age of 60 account for more than half of all shingles cases, less than 15% get the vaccination that helps prevent the blistering skin rash, which can cause lingering nerve pain.

17 Jan 2014

Gene therapies correct three forms of retinal degenerative diseases

Gene therapies developed by University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine researchers have worked to correct different forms of blindness. While effective, the downside to these approaches to vision rescue is that each disease requires its own form of gene therapy to correct the particular genetic mutation involved, a time consuming and complex process.

17 Jan 2014

New gene therapy restores some sight in people born with inherited form of blindness

A new gene therapy has restored some sight in people born with an inherited, progressive form of blindness. The technique replaces a defective gene in the eye with a normal working copy of the gene using a single injection.

16 Jan 2014

Cedars-Sinai investigators identify new molecular abnormalities in diabetic cornea

Investigators at the Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute have identified new molecular abnormalities in the diabetic cornea that could contribute to eye problems in affected patients.

16 Jan 2014

Study shows wide-ranging variation in patterns of X chromosome inactivation in female mice

Producing brightly speckled red and green snapshots of many different tissues, Johns Hopkins researchers have color-coded cells in female mice to display which of their two X chromosomes has been made inactive, or “silenced.”

10 Jan 2014

Apitope-led consortium awarded FP7 Health Innovation funding to develop Graves' disease vaccine

Apitope, the drug discovery and development company focused on treating the underlying cause of autoimmune diseases, today announces that the consortium, led by Apitope, which includes GSK Vaccines, Quintiles and KWS Biotest Limited, has been awarded prestigious Framework Programme 7 Health Innovation funding by the European Commission to develop its Graves' disease therapeutic vaccine, including a Phase I first-in-man study in Graves' disease patients.

8 Jan 2014

StemGenex offers stem cell treatment studies to patients diagnosed with diabetes, neurological diseases

According to The American Diabetes Association there are over 25 million people in the US living with diabetes. These patients are suffering from complications such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease, neuropathy and amputation.

8 Jan 2014

Kindergarten teacher diagnosed with rare neurological syndrome

The journal Neurology is reporting an unusual and heart-rending case of a reading teacher who suddenly lost her ability to read.

6 Jan 2014

Dysfunction in MADD gene in mice causes fasting hyperglycemia

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have found that dysfunction in a single gene in mice causes fasting hyperglycemia, one of the major symptoms of type 2 diabetes. Their findings were reported online in the journal Diabetes.

5 Jan 2014

Novel technique helps people with word blindness to read again

In the journal Neurology, researchers report a novel technique that enables a patient with "word blindness" to read again.

3 Jan 2014

New tool may help predict retinal detachment after open globe injuries

Ocular trauma causing open globe injury, or a breach in the wall of the eye, remains an important cause of vision loss, with more than 200,000 open globe injuries occurring worldwide each year. In many cases, retinal detachment follows the traumatic injury, causing significant vision loss or blindness.

2 Jan 2014

Study finds way to boost corneal transplant acceptance rate

For the estimated 10 percent of patients whose bodies reject a corneal transplant, the odds of a second transplant succeeding are poor. All that could change, however, based on a UT Southwestern Medical Center study that has found a way to boost the corneal transplant acceptance rate.

31 Dec 2013

Blindness News and Research

Investigators develop human iPSCs capable of repairing damaged retinal vascular tissue in mice

Viewpoints: High court weighs home health care workers' union rights; abortion protections becoming 'all but meaningless'

Clinician scientist receives RPB Career Development Award to support eye research

Research under way to develop new techniques for detecting diabetic retinopathy

Clues of "silent thief of sight”: Glaucoma

Probability of blindness from glaucoma drops by half, say researchers

Study: Probability of blindness due to glaucoma has decreased by nearly half

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals' Iclusig now commercially available to patients in the U.S.

Patient's EMR coupled with pharmacist intervention improves preventative care of shingles

Gene therapies correct three forms of retinal degenerative diseases

New gene therapy restores some sight in people born with inherited form of blindness

Cedars-Sinai investigators identify new molecular abnormalities in diabetic cornea

Study shows wide-ranging variation in patterns of X chromosome inactivation in female mice

Apitope-led consortium awarded FP7 Health Innovation funding to develop Graves' disease vaccine

StemGenex offers stem cell treatment studies to patients diagnosed with diabetes, neurological diseases

Kindergarten teacher diagnosed with rare neurological syndrome

Dysfunction in MADD gene in mice causes fasting hyperglycemia

Novel technique helps people with word blindness to read again

New tool may help predict retinal detachment after open globe injuries

Study finds way to boost corneal transplant acceptance rate

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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