A new study reveals how photoreceptors grown from stem cells might extend biological wires, known as axons, to contact existing neurons.       Read full article here

Innovation in scientific instrumentation is an important aspect of research at UW–Madison, in part due to efforts by MERI associate director Kevin Eliceiri. A professor of medical physics and biomedical engineering, Eliceiri was named an Open Hardware Trailblazer Fellow by the Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA). Read the full article here

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health have successfully shown that a retinal cell type derived from human pluripotent stem cells is capable of the complex process of detecting light and converting that signal to electrical waves. The results of this research could unlock new therapeutic avenues for treating vision …

Cycle for Sight 2022 Raises Over $50,000 for Vision Research The McPherson ERI’s annual research fundraiser was once again driven by teams that exercised outdoors – walking, running, and cycling for sight around the state and the country.  Thank you to all who participated, donated, and sponsored the event!  Check out the pictures!

The McPherson Eye Research Institute is proud to announce the 2022 Expanding Our Vision recipient. Professor Yin Li, Dept. of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, will receive $10,000 from the McPherson ERI towards his research. Towards Automated Surgical Skill Assessment for Cataract Surgical Training Abstract: Over 25 million people in the US are affected by cataracts—a …

The McPherson Eye Research Institute is proud to announce the McPherson ERI-funded 2022 Hilldale Undergraduate Award recipient in vision research. Congratulations to Lillian Li and her advisor, Ari Rosenberg (Dept. of Neuroscience), on Lillian Li’s proposal: Biologically Inspired Convolutional Neural Networks for 3D Visual Processing Abstract: Our eyes sense two-dimensional (2D) projections of the environment, …

Skala to Develop New Imaging Approach for Retinal Diseases Melissa Skala, PhD, a professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, has landed a grant from the National Eye Institute to develop a new imaging method for quantifying melanin levels in human eyes. The approach could allow for earlier disease detection and monitoring, as …