Targeting ELOVL2 Gene To Improve Visual Function and Stem Cell Based Retinal Implant To Treat Dry AMD

 

Dr. Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk (University of California - Irvine)

Dr. Sun Young Lee (University of Southern California - Los Angeles, CA)

Dr. Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk, Associate Professor, Physiology and Biophysics, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Brunson Center For Translational Vision Research, University of California-Irvine, discusses how targeting the ELOVL2 "aging gene" with fatty acids in mice could possibly reverse age-related vision loss.

Then, Dr. Sun Young Lee, Retina Specialist, USC Roski Eye Institute, part of Keck Medicine, University of Southern California, explains how a stem cell based retinal implant could possibly treat the dry form of age-related macular degeneration.

2/8/2026 Podcast (Click Image Below)

A11yShape 3-D Modeling Tool and Treating Adults With Amblyopia

Dr. Liang He (University of Texas at Dallas - Dallas, TX)

Jerry Zhang (University of Washington - Seattle, WA)

Dr. Mark Bear (Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Cambridge, MA)

Dr. Liang He, Assistant Professor, Computer Science, University of Texas at Dallas, and Jerry Zhang, Ph.D. candidate, University of Washington, discuss A11yShape, an AI assisted 3-D modeling tool designed to assist programmers who are blind or have low vision.

Dr. Mark Bear, the Picower Professor of Neuroscience, the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, explains amblyopia and how adults can be treated for the disorder.

1/11/2026 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Adult Stem Cells Used To Treat Dry AMD And Pediatric Belt Cane Mobility Aid

Dr. Rajesh Rao (University Of Michigan Medical School - Ann Arbor, MI)

Pediatric Belt Cane (Safe Toddles - Fishkill, NY)

 

Dr. Rajesh Rao, Leonard G. Miller Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Pathology and Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan Medical School, explains how adult retinal pigment epithelial stem cells derived from postmortem eye tissue have shown promise in treating the dry form of age-related macular degeneration.

Dr. Grace Ambrose-Zaken, President and CEO of Safe Toddles, discusses the Pediatric Belt Cane, a mobility aid for toddlers who are blind or have low vision.

12/28/2025 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Electrical Synapses Impact On The Retina And Ideas To Improve Descriptive Audio

Dr. John O'Brien (University of Houston - Houston, TX)

Dr. Edward Timke (Michigan State University - East Lansing, MI)

Dr. John O'Brien, Professor, Department of Vision Science, University of Houston College of Optometry, discusses a $2.6 million grant from the National Eye Institute and research into how electrical synapses affect the retina. 

Dr. Edward Timke, Assistant Professor of Advertising and Public Relations, Michigan State University, Co-Editor of Advertising and Society Quarterly, explains how descriptive audio could better convey messages to those in the disability community.

12/14/2025 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Hmx Protein's Effect On Fruit Flies' Photoreceptors and Info On The NFB Performing Arts Division

Dr. Jens Rister (University of Massachusetts - Boston)

Katelyn MacIntyre (National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts Division - Baltimore, MD)

Dr. Jens Rister, Associate Professor, Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts-Boston, explains the role of the protein, Hmx, in the development of photoreceptors in Drosophila fruit flies.

Katelyn MacIntyre, President, National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts Division, discusses the obstacles facing those who are blind or have low vision in the performing arts and the resources of the division.

11/23/2025 Podcast (Click Image Below) 

First FDA Approved Encelto Treatment for MacTel and The Vanderbilt Vision Research Center

Dr. Diana Do (Stanford University - Stanford, CA)

Dr. David J. Calkins (Vanderbilt University - Nashville, TN)

Dr. Diana Do, Professor of Ophthalmology and Vice Chair For Clinical Affairs, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University, discusses the first FDA approved treatment, Encelto, for MacTel (macular telangiectasia),  which causes central vision loss. 

Dr. David J. Calkins, Denis O'Day Professor, Vice Chair For Strategy, Vice President For Research, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Director of Vanderbilt Vision Research Center (VVRC), talks about the renewal of the NIH grant for Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, its mission, and its current projects.

11/9/2025 Podcast (Click Image Below)

DHDDS Enzyme Influence On Retinitis Pigmentosa And New Imaging Technique To Study Diabetic Retinopathy

 

Dr. Steven Pittler (University of Alabama - Birmingham School of Optometry)

Dr. Midhat Abdulreda (University of Miami Diabetes Research Institute - Miami, FL)

Dr. Abigail Hackam (University of Miami Bascom Palmer Eye Institute - Miami, FL)

Dr. Steven Pittler, Department of Optometry and Visual Science, Senior Scientist and Director of the Vision Science Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, explains how the DHDDS enzyme in mice can lead to a form of retinitis pigmentosa called, RP59.

Dr. Midhat Abdulreda, Senior Scientist, Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and Dr. Abigail Hackam, Professor of Ophthalmology, Director of Laboratory Research at the University of Miami Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, discuss how the special imaging technique, fluorescence angiography with dual-fluorescence (FA-DF) and the drug, aflibercept, have been used to study how diabetic retinopathy develops in mice.

11/2/2025 Podcast (Click Image Below)