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
2023
NEW 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, 2023Research Beyond Waisman Center: Discoveries that have spun into products
Multiple discoveries born from the minds and hard work of Waisman Center investigators have left the nest to become successful companies or products that have had a significant impact in the world through translational research. Included is …
July 16, 2023Faculty receive 2023-24 WARF Named Professorships, Kellett Fellowships, and Romnes Awards
Thirty-five of the University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty have been awarded fellowships from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education for 2023-24. The awardees span the four divisions on campus: arts and …
July 15, 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, 2023Dr Freya Mowat receives the Dr. Joe G. Hollyfield New Investigator Award for Macular Degeneration Research
The highly prestigious award is presented annually by the BrightFocus Foundation to the top-rated New Investigator Grant recipient in recognition of exceptionally promising and forward-thinking ideas in the field of age-related macular degeneration. Dr. Mowat …
May 4, 2023New Nanocapsules Deliver Therapy Brain-Wide, Edit Alzheimer’s Gene in Mice
New Nanocapsules Deliver Therapy Brain-Wide, Edit Alzheimer’s Gene in Mice Gene therapies have the potential to treat neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, but they face a common barrier — the blood-brain barrier. Now, …
February 11, 2023Freya Mowat Receives David G. Walsh GSSI Award.
The McPherson Eye Research Institute is pleased to announce this year’s recipient of the third annual David G. Walsh Graduate Student Support Initiative (GSSI) award. The GSSI provides a 1-year grant of $12,000, financed by the David G. Walsh Research Fellowship …
February 4, 2023Remembering Dr. Alice McPherson
Remembering Dr. Alice McPherson With great sadness, the McPherson ERI notes the passing on January 16th, 2023, of our namesake and co-founder, Dr. Alice R. McPherson. Dr. McPherson’s many remarkable achievements are profiled on our …
February 4, 2023Envisioning the Environment – Scenes from Plein Air Artists
Join us to view scenes from all seasons, captured outdoors in settings local and far away, to brighten our days and engage our imaginations. Envisioning the Environment – Scenes from Plein Air Artists, opens on …
January 11, 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, 2022A Research Partnership Brings Gene Editing Promise to Eye Disease
The increased interest and success in using gene-editing techniques to treat ocular diseases has inspired collaboration between scientists of UW-Madison’s McPherson ERI, Morgridge Institute for Research, and Wisconsin Institute for Discovery. Read the full …
December 30, 2022UW Eye Research Uncovers How Stem Cell Photoreceptors Reach Their Targets
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
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, 2021Gamm, Gong, and Ma Labs Develop Micro-molded “Ice Cube Tray” Scaffold for Photoreceptor Replacement
David Gamm (Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Emmett A. Humble Distinguished Director, McPherson ERI) is collaborating with colleagues Shaoqin (Sarah) Gong, a professor of biomedical engineering, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery faculty member and an …
April 30, 2021Kenzi Valentyn Vision Research Grants 2021 Announced
The McPherson Eye Research Institute’s Research and Leadership Committees are pleased to announce the 2021 recipients of the Kenzi Valentyn Vision Research Grants. Allison Ludwig, Kushin Mukherjee, Aindrila Saha, and Kara Vogel will each receive …
March 31, 2021Recipients of the David G. Walsh Graduate Student Support Initiative Announced
The McPherson ERI is pleased to announce the recipients of the first annual David G. Walsh Graduate Student Support Initiative awards. Two one-year grants of $12,000, financed by the David G. Walsh Research Fellowship Endowment …
March 11, 2021David Gamm and Kevin Eliceiri Elected to American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows
The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has announced the election of both the Director, David Gamm, and the Associate Director, Kevin Eliceiri, of the McPherson Eye Research Institute to its College of …
February 16, 2021- More Research 2021 posts
2020
New 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, 2020McPherson ERI Fall 2020 Trainee Symposium, October 15th
Please join us for the McPherson ERI Fall 2020 Trainee Symposium, to be held online in lieu of our annual in-person poster session. McPherson ERI trainees will give 3-minute “flash talks” on their current research …
October 7, 2020A New Approach to a Rare, Incurable Form of Blindness
A collaboration among four McPherson ERI member labs has resulted in a proof-of-concept method to correct an inherited form of macular degeneration that causes blindness, and that is currently untreatable. The research, which focused on …
August 4, 2020Kenzi Valentyn Vision Research Grants 2020 Announced
The McPherson Eye Research Institute’s Research and Leadership Committees are pleased to announce the 2020 recipients of the Kenzi Valentyn Vision Research Grants. Anjani Sreepada Chakrala, Ralph W. Nelson, and Abhilash Sawant will each receive …
May 28, 2020Visiting Scholar Program Announces Four 2020 Awards
The McPherson ERI Visiting Scholar Program (VSP) provides a unique opportunity for McPherson ERI members to invite researchers from other institutions to visit UW-Madison for up to a week. Such immersive experiences facilitate in-depth interactions and …
April 17, 2020David G. Walsh Research Travel Award Recipients, Spring 2020
McPherson ERI/David G. Walsh Research Travel Awards provide funds for graduate students and postdocs from McPherson ERI members’ research groups to attend conferences to present vision-related work and to advance educational and professional development opportunities. …
April 17, 2020Schloss Lab Receives Grant to Understand Visual Reasoning
Karen Schloss, Assistant Professor in UW-Madison’s Department of Psychology, has received a grant for $558,702 from the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Program. The award is for a project intended to advance the …
March 17, 2020- More Research-2020 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, 2019McPherson ERI/David G. Walsh Research Travel Awards, Fall 2019
McPherson ERI/David G. Walsh Research Travel Awards provide funds for graduate students and postdocs from McPherson ERI members’ research groups to attend conferences to present vision-related work and to advance educational and professional development opportunities. The …
October 23, 2019Enrollment open for the Illuminating Discovery Science Communication Course
McPherson ERI member H. Adam Steinberg, who for many years has offered McPherson ERI members and trainees an annual workshop on effectively presenting and communicating science in posters and presentations, will co-teach an Illuminating Discovery …
September 20, 2019Applications Open for Fall 2019 Walsh Research Travel Awards
With funding from Cycle for Sight as well as from the David G. Walsh Research Fellowship Fund, two David G. Walsh Research Travel Awards will be awarded to support graduate students and/or postdoctoral researchers in …
September 10, 2019McPherson ERI Researchers Develop Nanocapsules for Gene Therapy Delivery
Tiny capsules packed with gene-editing tools offer alternative to viral delivery of gene therapy…. New tools for editing genetic code offer hope for new treatments for inherited diseases, some cancers, and even stubborn viral infections. …
September 10, 2019- More Research-2019 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, 2024MERI-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, 2018NEI Audacious Goals Grants Awarded to McPherson ERI Members
Two out of five new National Eye Institute Audacious Goals Initiative grants were awarded to teams headed by McPherson Eye Research Institute investigators, the NEI announced on Thursday, 10/8. The funds, awarded “to accelerate the …
October 12, 2018Applications Open for Fall 2018 Walsh Research Travel Awards
This fall semester, with funding from Cycle for Sight as well as from the David G. Walsh Research Fellowship Fund, two David G. Walsh Research Travel Awards will be awarded to support graduate students and/or postdoctoral researchers. The application process …
September 13, 2018McPherson ERI 10th Annual Poster Session, Distinguished Lecture
Dr. Jeremy Wolfe will speak following the 10th Annual McPherson ERI Poster Session, on Tuesday, October 16th. Please register to attend this year’s McPherson ERI poster session in the HSLC atrium, 3:00-5:30 PM! Attendees are …
September 7, 2018Fall Semester 2018 Seminars
Fall Semester 2018, 12:00 to 1:00 PM, 2nd Tuesdays. Please join us at this semester’s vision research seminars! Please RSVP for pizza lunch to gmstirr@wisc.edu, 265-4023. Pizza is sponsored by EyeKor, Inc. and Ocular Services …
August 23, 2018Walsh Family Professorship to Support “Cutting-Edge Vision Research”
The McPherson Eye Research Institute is pleased to announce the establishment of the David and Nancy Walsh Family Professorship in Vision Research, intended to support “cutting-edge vision research” at the Institute. The Walsh family has …
July 19, 2018- More Research-2018 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, 2017Gamm Team Recognized in NEI’s 3-D Retina Organoid Challenge
A team of McPherson ERI scientists headed by Dr. David Gamm was recognized by the National Eye Institute as part of an initiative aimed at improving the production of human 3D retina structures grown from …
October 5, 20179th Annual McPherson ERI Vision Science Poster Session
Close to 100 McPherson ERI members and associates attended the McPherson the 9th Annual Vision Science Poster Session on Thursday, October 12th. The session was immediately followed by the McPherson ERI distinguished guest lecturer, Professor …
September 9, 2017
A NEW WAY TO SEE INSIDE THE EYE WITH MARYSE LAPIERRE-LANDRY & DR. MELISSA SKALA
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an imaging tool commonly used in the eye for screening, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the retina and cornea. Used regularly by researchers in the eye and vision community …
August 31, 2017Stem Cell Therapies: The Hope and the Hype
With stem cells the focus of much recent attention in the media, this statement from Dr. David Gamm clarifies both the promise and the misconceptions about stem cell use for vision therapies.
May 1, 2017
Discovering How the Retina Ages With Dr. Akihiro Ikeda, DVM, PhD
Why do age-related diseases occur when people age? This sounds like a simple question – when else should they occur? But it is a key question which applies to retinal diseases including age-related macular degeneration …
April 29, 2017- More Research-2017 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, 2016Macular degeneration prevention advances with Lakkaraju team’s new paper
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has published a new paper by Li Xuan Tan, Kimberly Toops, and Aparna Lakkaraju which pinpoints how immune abnormalities in the retinal pigment epithelium can cause macular …
July 25, 2016Capacity Crowd Hears Pawan Sinha Give 2016 McPherson Endowed Lecture
The McPherson Eye Research Institute celebrated its 10th Anniversary with the 4th Annual Endowed Lecture on Thursday, April 28, 2016. Pawan Sinha, PhD, Professor of Vision and Computational Neuroscience in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences …
May 1, 2016- More Research-2016 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
McPherson ERI Vision Science Poster Session Draws a Crowd
Guest Lecturers Bring Neuromagic to the HSLC McPherson ERI’s annual event showcasing vision-related research was held on Tuesday, November 3rd, drawing more than 100 participants to the atrium of the Health Sciences Learning Center. Following …
November 1, 2015Fall 2015 Walsh Research Travel Awards
The McPherson ERI Research Committee is pleased to announce two award recipients—one graduate student and one postdoctoral researcher— from among a strong and diverse field of fall semester 2015 applicants: Mitra Farnoodian, graduate student (Ophthalmology …
October 10, 2015- More Research-2015 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
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, 2013- More Research-2013 and Earlier posts