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Sep 18, 2026 | UC Irvine School of Medicine
PerZeption Awarded NEI Phase 1 SBIR Grant for Age-related Macular Degeneration Study
PerZeption Inc. has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI) for the project "Efficient Achromatic and Chromatic Photostress Recovery Assessment for Age-related Macular Degeneration." The study will be performed in collaboration with researchers at the Brunson Center for Translational Vision Research at the University of California, Irvine.
Sep 11, 2026 | UC Irvine School of Medicine
Pre-Med Students Spend Summer Immersed in Biomedical Research
UCI’s summer research programs give undergraduate students hands on experience in biomedical research and clinical medicine. This year, 25 students in the HBCU Summer Research Clinical Experience (TRAVIS) Program explored fields including retinal disease, gene editing, and inherited eye disorders while gaining mentorship and research experience.
Aug 13, 2026 | UC Irvine News
Knights Templar Eye Foundation Leaders Visit UCI to Celebrate Career-Starter Grant Recipient and Meet Program Alumni
Postdoctoral scholar Yexuan Cao, MD, PhD, of the Rui Chen Lab, receives $100,000 grant to study a newly identified gene linked to inherited retinal disease
Matt Miller Director mrmille2@uci.edu
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Congratulations to Dr. Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk and Dr. Audrone Lapinaite on receiving prestigious 2026–2027 Senate faculty honors. Dr. Skowronska-Krawczyk was recognized with the Distinguished Faculty Award for Mentorship, while Dr. Lapinaite received the Distinguished Early-Career Faculty Award for Research. Their achievements reflect their outstanding dedication, leadership, and contributions to research, mentorship, and the university community.
Congratulations to Krzysztof Palczewski, PhD, and Eleonora Risaliti on being named the 2026 Robert & Sylvia Mapel Research Innovation Awardees. Their project, “Prime Editing VEGF-A: A Durable Genomic Therapy for Neovascular AMD,” aims to advance innovative genomic therapy research for neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
The Brunson Center for Translational Vision Research (BCTVR) hosted the Foundation Fighting Blindness Vision Connection event at UC Irvine, bringing together researchers and community members for presentations on breakthrough vision research and emerging therapies for blindness. The event featured talks from five UC Irvine vision experts.
Apr 15, 2025 | The Scientist
A Vision of the Future: Restoring Eyesight via Transplantation
Magdalene Seiler, an ophthalmology researcher and neurobiologist at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), has spent over 30 years developing transplantation strategies to restore vision in patients affected by retinal degenerative diseases.
Jan 28, 2025 | GEG Tech
Retinal gene therapy: Visual cycle restored in blind mice
University of California, Irvine and GEG Tech announce results paving the way for high-precision gene therapy.