“A team of scientists from several Harvard-affiliated centers in Boston, MA, has grown human corneal tissue in mice using adult-derived human stem cells. They believe their breakthrough will bring hope to people who have impaired or lost vision due to burns, chemical injuries, or eye diseases that damage the cornea,” reports Medical News Today. “Dr. Bruce Ksander, associate professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, and also of Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, and colleagues write about their work - the first known example of tissue grown from a human stem cell - in the journal Nature. The cells that make up the cornea - the transparent ‘window’ of tissue at the front of the eye - are constantly damaged from blinking and exposure to the outside world. To repair the damage, the eye maintains a small number of ‘limbal stem cells’ at the edge of the cornea.” Read more.
Showing posts with label Mass. Eye and Ear. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mass. Eye and Ear. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Friday, June 29, 2012
Eliot Berson Receives Visionary Award from the Foundation Fighting Blindness
Eliot L. Berson, M.D., director of the Berman-Gund Laboratory for the
Study of Retinal Degenerations located at the Mass. Eye and Ear,
recently received the Foundation Fighting Blindness Visionary Award.
Mr. Gordon Gund, chairman of the Maryland-based Foundation Fighting
Blindness, presented Dr. Berson with the award at the foundation's
recent "Dining in the Dark" event at the Boston
InterContinental Hotel.
Other recipients awarded include Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick and Joshua S. Boger, Ph.D., founder of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, an international company headquartered in Cambridge, Mass.
The Visionary Award was presented to Dr. Berson for his important role in research to advance the understanding of potentially blinding diseases and for the development of the first treatment for retinitis pigmentosa.
"Our studies have led to a better understanding of the causes of hereditary retinal degenerations at the DNA level and also have led to the first treatment for the common forms of retinitis pigmentosa. We have found that a high-dose of vitamin A combined with an oily fish diet and lutein will, on average, extend vision for up to 20 additional years, thereby making it possible for many patients with retinitis pigmentosa to see for their entire lives. We were also the first to show that high-dose vitamin E supplementation aggravates the course of these diseases," said Dr. Berson during his speech.
Other recipients awarded include Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick and Joshua S. Boger, Ph.D., founder of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, an international company headquartered in Cambridge, Mass.
The Visionary Award was presented to Dr. Berson for his important role in research to advance the understanding of potentially blinding diseases and for the development of the first treatment for retinitis pigmentosa.
"Our studies have led to a better understanding of the causes of hereditary retinal degenerations at the DNA level and also have led to the first treatment for the common forms of retinitis pigmentosa. We have found that a high-dose of vitamin A combined with an oily fish diet and lutein will, on average, extend vision for up to 20 additional years, thereby making it possible for many patients with retinitis pigmentosa to see for their entire lives. We were also the first to show that high-dose vitamin E supplementation aggravates the course of these diseases," said Dr. Berson during his speech.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)