Work by Caitlin Collin & Qin Liu highlighted at ARVO 2021 meeting
June 3, 2021Caitlin CollinQin Liu At the virtual 2021 meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), Caitlin Collin, PhD, from Mass Eye and Ear (MEE), presented a promising CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing approach for treating people with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (adRP) caused by mutations in the gene RP1. The project... Read More
Ground-breaking study to restore vision uses CRISPR technology
May 24, 2021Eric Pierce MD PhDJason Comander MD PhD Mass Eye and Ear is co-leading a new, revolutionary clinical trial that uses CRISPR gene editing to correct a genetic mutation that leads to a form of blindness caused by Leber congenital amaurosis, an inherited retinal disorder. Clinical trial participant Michael Kalberer is the second person in the... Read More
Ocular Genomics Institute Scientists publish large Gene-Wide Association Study of Glaucoma
March 2, 2021Janey Wiggs Ayellet Segre Janey Wiggs, MD, Ph.D., Ocular Genomics Institute Associate Director, Chief of Ophthalmology Clinical Research at Mass Eye and Ear, and the Paul Austin Chandler Professor of Ophthalmology and Vice Chair of Clinical Research at Harvard Medical School, and Ayellet Segre, genetic biostatistician, Ocular Genomics... Read More
AAVCOVID Vaccine developed by Luk Vandenberghe to start Clinical trials
February 10, 2021Associate OGI Director Luk Vandenberghe and University of Pennsylvania gene therapy head James Wilson said primate safety and efficacy tests have proven promising for their single-dose candidate, targeted for room-temperature storage. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded the researchers up to $2.1 million to move the vaccine... Read More
Elizabeth Engle, OGI Associate Director, inducted into the American Academy of Medicine
November 10, 2020Congratulations to Dr. Engle on her recent induction into the National Academy of Medicine. Elizabeth C. Engle, M.D., investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; professor of neurology and ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School; senior associate in neurology, ophthalmology, and genetics, Boston Children’s Hospital; and associate member,... Read More
The Genetics of and Genetic Therapies for Inherited Retinal Degenerations
October 22, 2020Eric Pierce MD PhD and OGI director participated in the distinguished speaker lecture series organized by the Center For Translational Vision Research at University of California, Irvine in September 2020. You can watch the lecture below. https://youtu.be/uRyAOKuZ928
Rosario Fernandez Godino awarded grant
October 20, 2020The Global Ophthalmology Awards Program from Bayer has awarded a grant to Rosario Fernandez Godino for her project: Studying the impact of ageing and Bruch’s membrane mechanotransduction in age-related macular degeneration (AMD).This proposal aims to bridge the gaps between normal ageing and RPE/Bruch’s membrane pathology to inform... Read More
Improving the throughput of diagnosis and treatment of inherited diseases of the retina
October 7, 2020Dr. Jason Comander was recently awarded a 5 year grant to support his work focused on efficiently identifying the genetic cause of inherited retinal degenerations.(IRDs), an important cause of vision loss. By using cell-based assays to determine the functional significance of a large panel of DNA variants, the goal is to increase the... Read More
First proof of concept for a therapy to treat patients with NMNAT1-associated disease
September 16, 2020Molecular Therapy: Methods & Clinical Development Vol. 18 September 2020 ª 2020 Authors from the Ocular Genomics Institute and Grousebeck Gene therapy Center have published the first proof of concept for a therapy to treat patients with NMNAT1-associated disease. No treatment is available for nicotinamide mononucleotide... Read More
Janey Wiggs Selected to Receive 2022 Weisenfeld Award
September 16, 2020Janey L. Wiggs (Mass Eye and Ear) has been selected by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) to receive the 2022 Mildred Weisenfeld Award for Excellence in Ophthalmology in recognition of her distinguished scholarly contributions to the clinical practice of ophthalmology. This award was established as a tribute to... Read More
Licensing Agreement with Biogen to Develop Treatment for Inherited Retinal Disorder
August 25, 2020Massachusetts Eye and Ear, a member hospital of Mass General Brigham, is entering into an exclusive licensing agreement with Biogen to develop a potential treatment for inherited retinal degeneration due to mutations in the PRPF31 gene, which are among the most common causes for autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa. Inherited retinal... Read More