We strive to serve as the catalyst for vision research. Our highest priority is to foster interactive, interdisciplinary, and translational studies of how the visual system functions in health and disease.
McPherson ERI Newsletters: InSights and Point of View
2025
McPherson ERI Fall 2025 InSights is out!
The latest issue of InSights features articles on a groundbreaking stem cell clinical trial, MERI’s Outreach accomplishments, and the establishment of the Alice R. McPherson Archives! Download the PDF Here
December 5, 2025Groundbreaking Stem Cell Clinical Trial for Retinal Disease Treats Its First Patient
Using a stem cell-derived therapeutic developed over more than a decade in Dr. David Gamm’s lab at UW-Madison, BlueRock Therapeutics has treated the first patient in a new Phase 1/2a clinical trial aimed at a group of …
July 21, 2025Researchers find the tipping point at which compensatory measures in a diseased retinal circuit shift from beneficial to detrimental
A recent study by the Hoon lab published in Current Biology has uncovered new modes of retinal circuit compensation and adaptation in response to impairments seen in congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB). CSNB is a retinal disease …
July 14, 2025McPherson ERI research featured on Chancellor’s new Research Moves Us Forward webpage
We’re pleased that Chancellor Mnookin has chosen to highlight research from MERI Director David Gamm’s lab to launch her new webpage on transformative, federally funded work happening right now at UW-Madison. You can read about …
May 9, 2025Researchers ‘seq’ and find a way to make pig retinal cells to advance eye treatments
In a new study published in Stem Cell Reports, the Gamm Lab partnered with researchers at the Morgridge Institute for Research to develop lab-grown pig retinal organoids. They found that pig-derived photoreceptors shared many similarities with …
March 17, 2025- More Research-2025 posts
2024
Gamm Lab Discoveries Culminate in FDA Approval of a Clinical Trial for the Treatment of Inherited Photoreceptor Diseases
BlueRock Therapeutics LP, a clinical stage cell therapy company and subsidiary of Bayer AG, today announced the clearance of its Investigational New Drug (IND) application by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for OpCT-001, …
September 9, 2024Testing senses and motor skills in midlife may help predict later cognitive impairment
When researchers test motor skills, hearing, vision and smell in people in their midlife, they are better able to identify those who may develop cognitive decline or impairment 10 years later, according to a new …
March 11, 2024- More Research-2024 posts
2023
New MERI-funded research just published in Cell Reports
Congratulations to McPherson ERI members Ari Rosenberg and Lowell W. Thompson on their recent publication ‘Hierarchical computation of 3D motion across macaque areas MT and FST! This paper, which was published yesterday in Cell Reports, reveals that the macaque …
December 6, 2023NEW PUBLICATION: Nonviral base editing of KCNJ13 mutation preserves vision in a model of inherited retinal channelopathy
Nonviral base editing of KCNJ13 mutation preserves vision in a model of inherited retinal channelopathy We are pleased to announce that a new study, with contributions by several MERI members, has just been published in …
August 15, 2023Emerging Technologies at UW-Madison Get Boost from State Funds
Emerging technologies at UW-Madison Get Boost from State Funds Emerging technologies developed at UW–Madison will receive funding assistance as the result of an on-campus grant program administered by UW–Madison’s Discovery to Product (D2P) and a …
July 16, 2023McPherson ERI Consortium Receives $29 Million NIH Grant to Advance Gene Editing Techniques
Using several innovative delivery methods, the new consortium – including researchers Krishanu Saha, Sarah Gong, David Gamm, Bikash Pattnaik and T. Michael Nork – will move ahead with gene editing techniques to treat two rare …
June 8, 2023- More Research 2023 posts
2022
Fall 2022 Kenzi Valentyn Vision Research Grant recipients
The McPherson Eye Research Institute is pleased to announce the Fall 2022 Kenzi Valentyn Vision Research Grant recipients. These one-year grants of $7500 each are funded by the Institute’s annual Cycle for Sight event, which …
December 30, 2022Student Presentation Awards – Fall Vision Science Poster Session
The McPherson ERI was pleased to have its first back-in-person Fall Vision Science Poster Session on Thursday, October 20, 2022. Best Student Presentation Award, Vision Science Zikang (John) Zhu, graduate student (Neuroscience; Ari Rosenberg, PhD, mentor). …
December 30, 2022Fall 2022 Walsh Research Travel Award recipients
The McPherson Eye Research Institute is pleased to announce the Fall 2022 Walsh Research Travel Award recipients. These awards are generously supported by the David G. Walsh endowment. Recipients will receive up to $1000 in registration and travel fees to …
December 30, 2022McPherson ERI’s 14th Annual Vision Science Lecture and Fall Poster Session Draws a Crowd
McPherson ERI’s 14th Annual Vision Science Lecture and Fall Poster Session Draws a Crowd Dan-Erik Nilsson, PhD, spoke on The Evolution of Eyes and Vision.
December 30, 2022The 2022 Winners: Cool Science Contest
Winners of the University of Wisconsin – Madison’s Annual Cool Science Image Contest used various techniques to create artistic scientific images – some of the most diverse in the contest’s history! Each work is currently …
December 30, 2022- More Research 2022 posts
2021
New Research Grants: Mezu-Ndubuisi & Gamm Labs
We’d like to note two substantial new research grants recently received by McPherson ERI member PIs. Congratulations to Olachi Mezu-Ndubuisi, MD, OD, who was recently awarded a five-year K08 Career Development Award from NIH/NEI in …
December 14, 2021Finding Clarity: Fellowship supports Ben Sajdak’s career path
For some people, career paths are well-defined tracks laid out early on. Ben Sajdak But for Ben Sajdak, who completed his Morgridge Postdoctoral Fellowship in September, a career path wasn’t initially apparent. However, two important …
September 28, 2021Expanding Our Vision 2021 Award Recipient Announced
Congratulations to McPherson ERI member Dr. Yuhang Zhao (Dept. of Computer Science), who will be collaborating with Dr. Bilge Mutlu (Dept. of Computer Science) and Dr. Sanbrita Mondal (Dept. of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences), here …
August 12, 2021- More Research 2021 posts
2018
Supporting the McPherson ERI’s Greatest Needs
Roger and Lynn Van Vreede have been married for 35 years and have also counted 35 years of supporting charitable causes together. Their interests align well—both are lovers of the arts, and passionate gardeners and …
December 9, 2024UW News highlights a hopeful new MS study from Ian Duncan’s lab
November 26, 2018MERI-at-a-Glance on November 30th
On Friday, November 30th, McPherson ERI members, their trainees and lab associates gathered at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID) for MERI-at-a-Glance — eight short research presentations (10 minutes each) sharing vision-related findings and interests. The …
October 31, 2018- More Research-2018 posts
2015
McPherson ERI researchers investigate vision across species
Gillian McLellan (Ophthalmology) is shown here checking out the eyes of a rare human/Mustelidae hybrid at a Badger hockey game in November. The creature, fully recovered, later posed with McPherson ERI Director David Gamm
November 15, 2015Major Study on Age-Related Macular Degeneration Shows that L-DOPA can Significantly Delay Onset of the Disease
In a study released today, researchers from a variety of institutions – including the Marshfield Clinic, whose director, Dr. Murray Brilliant, is the lead author of the study – have announced that patients who use …
November 4, 2015McPherson ERI Study
A New Study from McPherson ERI Members & Collaborators Shows That Patients Taking the Drug L-DOPA are Significantly Less Likely to Develop Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Read more
November 2, 2015- More Research-2015 posts
2020
Saha Lab combines methods to advance CRISPR gene editing tools
December 8, 2020New McPherson ERI Expanding Our Vision (EOV) grant recipients announced
The Expanding Our Vision (EOV) grant program was started this year to provide awards of up to $10,000 to researchers performing vision-related research in visual communication, visual cognition, visual perception/performance, data visualization, development of novel …
November 6, 2020Skala Lab tracks role of microphages in cancer spread
October 26, 2020- More Research-2020 posts
2017
MERI-at-a-Glance Draws Researchers on December 8th!
MERI-at-a-Glance featured short presentations by eight McPherson ERI-affiliated researchers on Friday, December 8th.
November 29, 2017From the Director: McPherson ERI Associate Director Transition
Recently, the Institute underwent a transition in the Associate Director position, which offers an opportunity to highlight two of McPherson ERI’s extraordinary scientists and leaders.
November 3, 2017- More Research-2017 posts
2014
AMD Research Grant Awards
Two McPherson ERI members from the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences were the recent recipients of $25,000 grant awards from the James Christensen Estate Macular Degeneration Research Fund. The fund, established by a generous …
December 29, 2014Metabolism Research in AMD Grant Award
Drs. David Gamm (Director, McPherson Eye Research Institute), Brad Schwartz (CEO, Morgridge Institute for Research), and Terri Young (Chair, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences) are pleased to announce the recipient of a $25,000 grant …
October 23, 2014Hilldale Research Fellowship Awards
We are pleased to announce Anna-Lisa Doebley as the recipient of the 2014-2015 McPherson ERI-sponsored Hilldale Undergraduate/Faculty Research Fellowship. This award provides a grant of $3,000 to the student and $500 to the faculty collaborator. …
October 1, 2014- More Research-2014 posts
2019
Kevin Eliceiri receives grant to improve software for automated microscopes
Kevin Eliceiri, professor of medical physics and biomedical engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, plans to improve the architecture and infrastructure of μManager, an open-source software package for control of automated microscopes. Open-source software is …
December 10, 2019MERI-at-a-Glance 2019
McPherson ERI’s MERI-at-a-Glance event, which highlighted the breadth of vision research conducted by MERI members, took place at WID on Friday, November 22nd. Eight McPherson ERI members gave short scientific presentations, alongside a pizza lunch …
October 30, 2019Vision Science Poster Session Award Winners
Thank you to all who attended and to all who displayed posters at the 11th annual McPherson Eye Research Institute Vision Science poster session on October 24th, including the sixteen students/trainees whose posters were considered …
October 30, 2019- More Research-2019 posts
2016
8th Annual McPherson ERI Vision Science Poster Session Draws a Crowd
The McPherson ERI’s annual poster session, held on Tuesday, October 4th in the atrium of the School of Medicine and Public Health, attracted close to 100 McPherson ERI members and affiliated researchers. 37 MERI members, …
October 7, 2016Gamm team and collaborators awarded NEI grant to reverse blindness
A UW-Madison research team of half a dozen McPherson ERI colleagues, along with collaborators at Johns Hopkins University, has been selected as one of six groups to receive funding from the National Eye Institute with …
September 25, 2016Researchers awarded grant to improve treatment of AMD
A multidisciplinary group of researchers is building a model of the retina that will help doctors better diagnose and develop treatments for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Kristyn Masters and Pam Kreeger, both associate professors of …
September 24, 2016- More Research-2016 posts
2013
American Academy of Ophthalmology Award
Dr. Daniel Albert, Founding Director of the McPherson ERI, received the prestigious Laureate Recognition Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the highest honor given by the Academy. The award to Dr. Albert was …
December 2, 2013Bikash Pattnaik Funded for Pediatric Blindness Research
Dr. Bikash Pattnaik, PhD, McPherson ERI member and past holder of the RRF Rebecca Meyer Brown Professorship, has received a $1 million-plus gift for the study of novel therapy approaches for Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA). …
August 25, 2013Dietary Supplements: Do They Help with AMD?
Drs. Barbara Blodi, Ronald Danis, and Suresh Chandra are among the authors of the long-awaited AREDS2 study, which examined the effect of various dietary supplements (including omega-3 fatty acids, lutein and zeaxanthin) in subjects with …
May 30, 2013- More Research-2013 and Earlier posts