Eye Disease News and Research

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Eye diseases are widespread around the globe. According to the World Health Organization, the most important three eye diseases or conditions that are a potential threat to the global population are diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. One more vital reason for visual harm is refractive errors. Some of the important reasons for vision loss or low vision are age, healthcare, gender, genetic problems and the prevalence of family history.

UC Irvine receives CIRM grant to advance stem cell-based treatments for AD, retinitis pigmentosa

Efforts to begin human clinical trials using stem cells to treat Alzheimer's disease and retinitis pigmentosa received a $37.3 million boost from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine during its most recent round of funding on Sept. 5.

10 Sep 2012

Gene therapy approach restores ability to smell in mouse model of congenital anosmia

Scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health have restored the ability to smell in a mouse model of a human genetic disorder that causes congenital anosmia-the inability to smell from birth. The approach uses gene therapy to regrow cilia, cell structures that are essential for olfactory function.

3 Sep 2012

Mexican-Americans with ancestral links have higher insulin resistance levels

Mexican-Americans with an ancestral link to Amerindian tribes were found to have higher insulin resistance levels, which is an indication of several chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, according to research by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

26 Aug 2012

Molecular Partners, Allergan to develop and commercialize DARPins against ophthalmic diseases

Allergan, Inc. and Molecular Partners AG today announced that they have significantly expanded their existing relationship by entering into two separate agreements to discover, develop, and commercialize proprietary therapeutic DARPin products for the treatment of serious ophthalmic diseases.

21 Aug 2012

Antisense therapy shows promise in treating toxoplasmosis

A targeted approach to treating toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease, shows early promise in test-tube and animal studies, where it prevented the parasites from making selected proteins. When tested in newly infected mice, it reduced the number of viable parasites by more than 90 percent, researchers from the University of Chicago Medicine report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

14 Aug 2012

Lucentis receives FDA approval for treatment of diabetic macular edema

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Lucentis (ranibizumab injection) for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME), a sight-threatening eye disease that occurs in people with diabetes.

10 Aug 2012

Creating new non-influenza vaccines: an interview with Julie Phillips, CEO of BioDiem

BioDiem recently signed a collaborative agreement with The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) for the development of non-influenza vaccines using BioDiem’s proprietary live attenuated influenza virus (LAIV) technology.

7 Aug 2012

Planarian flatworms now a model system for studying eye development and eye diseases

Planarian flatworms have come under intense study for their renowned ability to regenerate any missing body part, even as adults. But now they may take on a starring role as a model system for studying eye development and eye diseases in vertebrates, including humans.

3 Aug 2012

New insights into process of eye-size control in zebrafish

A Purdue University student's research project related to zebrafish eye development could lead to a better understanding of vision problems that affect billions of people worldwide.

3 Aug 2012

Scientists identify new gene responsible for genetic form of blindness in newborns

One of the mysteries of blindness has been solved. A team of international scientists in collaboration with the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC) identified a new gene responsible for Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA), a devastating genetic form of blindness in newborns.

30 Jul 2012

Microneedles can deliver drug formulations into the eye

Thanks to tiny microneedles, eye doctors may soon have a better way to treat diseases such as macular degeneration that affect tissues in the back of the eye. That could be important as the population ages and develops more eye-related illnesses - and as pharmaceutical companies develop new drugs that otherwise could only be administered by injecting into the eye with a hypodermic needle.

24 Jul 2012

Tiny microneedles to treat macular degeneration

23 Jul 2012

Noted philanthropist to launch mobile eye clinic in North India

Noted entrepreneur and philanthropist, Tej Kohli is all set to launch Drishti Rath, a complete eye clinic on wheels. After the successful launch of the corneal blindness eradication programme in 2010, which enabled hundreds of poverty stricken corneal blind to get vision and which is still running successfully across NCR and neighbouring rural areas, Tej is set to launch this first-of-its-kind initiative in North India.

23 Jul 2012

BioDiem presents positive findings of their eye disease drug at international conference

Australian infectious disease therapy and vaccine development company BioDiem Ltd (ASX: BDM) today announced positive results from formal studies of its BDM-E eye disease drug, presented over 21 – 22 July at the International Society for Eye Research (ISER) meeting in Berlin, Germany. The ISER convenes leading researchers and clinicians in the area of eye disease.

22 Jul 2012

Number of blind persons decline in Germany

The numbers of people in Germany who are blind or visually impaired is going down. Robert P. Finger and his co-authors present their findings in the current edition of Deutsches -rzteblatt International.

21 Jul 2012

FDA clears pSivida's IND for injectable sustained-release micro-insert to treat posterior uveitis

pSivida Corp., a leader in developing sustained release, drug delivery products for treatment of back-of-the-eye diseases, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared its Investigational New Drug (IND) application to treat posterior uveitis with pSivida's injectable sustained-release micro-insert.

20 Jul 2012

Otsuka, Acucela commence rebamipide ophthalmic suspension Phase 3 trial in dry eye syndrome

Acucela Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on developing new treatments for blinding eye diseases, and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., today announced the initiation of a Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate rebamipide ophthalmic suspension in patients with dry eye syndrome.

19 Jul 2012

Ampio announces results from Optina trial on DME

Ampio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative proprietary drugs for inflammation, eye disease, kidney disease, CNS disease, metabolic disease and male sexual dysfunction and conducting clinical trials on its three lead drugs (Ampion, Optina & Zertane), announced the significant results from their further analysis of its Optina trial on DME.

9 Jul 2012

Senior citizens report fewer visual impairment problems than their counterparts

Today's senior citizens are reporting fewer visual impairment problems than their counterparts from a generation ago, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study. Improved techniques for cataract surgery and a reduction in the prevalence of macular degeneration may be the driving forces behind this change, the researchers said.

29 Jun 2012

Vaccine for nicotine addiction developed

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have developed and successfully tested in mice an innovative vaccine to treat nicotine addiction.

28 Jun 2012