Breakthroughs in molecular genetics, developmental biology, and transplantation allow us to contemplate repair of the diseased body in ways previously thought impossible. The Central Nervous System (CNS), perhaps more so than any other system of the body, may be treatable with new therapies aimed at replacing cells lost to disease or traumatic injury. Parkinson's Disease, Huntington's chorea, spinal cord injury, and retinal disease are now able to be treated successfully in animal models. It is likely that in the near future, these "incurable" diseases, as well as many others, will be treated in human patients.

Blinding diseases of the eye, such as Age -Related Macular Degeneration, Retinitis Pigmentosa, Glaucoma, AMD, Diabetic Retinopathy, Stargardt’s Disease, Ocular Surface Trauma, share one tragic feature: damage of neurons in the neurosensory retina. Retinal neurons, being part of the central nervous system, do not regrow when damaged. When these cells die, they are lost forever, resulting in incurable blindness. For this reason, the only possibility of repairing the damage is by transplanting new cells that can replace those lost. Researchers at the Schepens Eye Research Institute's Minda de Gunzburg Research Center for Ocular Regeneration have been focussed on developing strategies to restore sight to the blinded eye through transplantation of new cells to the retina.

However, a great deal of work is needed before we can successfully apply this technology to the clinic. Transplantation of new neural cells to the retina is now faced with two main problems that must be overcome: the inability of grafted cells to make connections with the host retina, and immunological rejection of donor tissue by the host. We at the Minda de Gunzburg Research Center for Ocular Regeneration have been focussed on these problems for the past 4 years, and have made seminal discoveries in these important areas of transplantation biology. The scientists in the Minda de Gunzburg Research Center for Ocular Regeneration are particularly well-suited to explore this important issue. Consequently, an experimental plan has been devised that will achieve the important research goals (a) of gaining new knowledge concerning the roles of astrocytes, microglia, and immune cells in the pathogenesis of retinal transplantation success/failure, and (b) of describing the potential roles of these cells in the pathogenesis of certain retinal degenerations. Simultaneously, these experimental plans will maximize the opportunities for the members of the Minda de Gunzburg Research Center for Ocular Regeneration to develop a collaborative, team-based approach to solving important research problems. They will also lay the groundwork for future fruitful collaborations that will lead to further funding for our group and the Institute.

SEO by Artio