What are Future Institute Projects to Protect Our Soldiers’ Vision?
Over the coming year, Institute scientists are beginning several exciting, new projects in response to the needs of the ophthalmologists of the Armed Forces: In one such project, Dr. Michael Young is designing ultrathin films with special channels and pores that he can seed with adult retinal stem cells and transplant into damged retinas, in an attempt to restore some of the vision that was lost to injury. This project could improve rehabilitation of wounded soldiers’ vision. Dr. Meredith Gregory-Ksander and Dr. Gilmore are beginning another project –preventing infection to the retina that can occur after trauma. Using different strains of mice, these researchers plan to determine what prevents one strain of mouse from getting retinal infections while, at the same time, the other strain is infected. Once these mechanisms are identified, drugs could be developed that would confer protection to humans. This project would improve treatments to soldiers in the field. The inflammation that
