Working Together to Understand, Protect and Restore Vision
McPherson ERI researchers have identified a protein called CD166/ALCAM that allows scientists to identify and purify a critical type of retinal photoreceptor for the first time. The discovery, published in Stem Cell Research and Therapy, overcomes a major obstacle in the development of stem cell-based therapies designed to replace cells lost in retinal disease. You …
We hope you enjoyed learning about the wonderful world of birds and their vision as much as we enjoyed hosting it. Over 220 community members attended the lectures and demonstrations, making this the most well-attended Vision at in the history of the event! None of it would have been possible without help from our volunteers and collaborators: If you …
Congratulations to MERI Member Prof. Curtis Brandt (DOVS), who has been awarded a four-year R01 grant from the National Eye Institute to support his research in preventing herpes-related blindness. HSV-1 corneal infection can lead to loss of sensory nerve axons in the tissue, resulting in neurotrophic keratopathy. There are several negative outcomes to the nerve …
Our 2026 update on age-related macular degeneration research at the McPherson ERI, the Trout AMD Update, is now available for viewing on our website or to download as a PDF. Sponsored by the Trout AMD Project, an initiative founded by Dr. Monroe and Sandra Trout of Appleton, the annual update reviews recent progress on AMD research in some of the many McPherson ERI member labs investigating this widespread eye disease.
A recent publication in Nature Communications explores the human genome to identify genetic barriers that limit nonviral CRISPR editor delivery. By using a new screening platform across 19,114 human genes, researchers identified 26 cellular factors that actively constrain CRISPR editing efficiency. This research was made possible by a collaborative effort across campus, including numerous MERI members …