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Jan 23, 2026 | UC Irvine School of Medicine
Pioneering Research to Prevent and Reverse Blindness
Research led by Frans Vinberg, PhD and colleagues at UC Irvine demonstrates that human retinal cells can regain light responses after prolonged loss of blood flow, challenging long-standing assumptions about irreversible vision loss. This work establishes critical preclinical methods and infrastructure that support new therapeutic strategies to prevent and potentially reverse blindness.
May 08, 2024 | UCI School of Medicine
Congratulations to our 2024 Awardees
David Salom, PhD is announced to be the winner of the 2024 UCI School of Medicine Outstanding Career Scientist Research Award! Emily Tom, MD, PhD student received the 2024 Outstanding Graduate Student Research Award Honorable Mention! Congratulations, CTVR members, we are very proud!
Mar 28, 2024 | UCI School of Medicine
UCI researchers find potential new gene-independent therapy for retinal degeneration
A research team led by the UC Irvine School of Medicine has identified a potential new gene-independent therapeutic strategy for treating the millions of people worldwide who suffer from retinal degeneration, a group of diseases that can lead to vision loss.
Matt Miller Director mrmille2@uci.edu
Michelle Heath Manager mstrombe@hs.uci.edu
Shani Murray Senior Science Writer shanim@hs.uci.edu
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Research led by Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk, PhD, shows that Greenland sharks—among the longest-lived vertebrates—retain structurally intact and functional retinas well beyond 100 years of age. Their remarkable visual preservation appears tied to ongoing activation of DNA-repair and protective molecular pathways, providing new insight into mechanisms that may counteract age-related retinal degeneration.
Dr. Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk has received the Dr. H. James & Carole Free Catalyst Award for Innovative Research Approaches for Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Her project explores lipid metabolism and omega-3 fatty acids as early intervention strategies to preserve retinal health during aging.
Dr. Audrey Lapinaite has received the RPB Career Advancement Award for her project, “Modulation of Angiogenic Factors via Precision Genome Editing in AMD.” Her work uses next-generation genome editing technologies to develop a durable, one-time therapeutic strategy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
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.