Vision is a complex phenomenon involving transmittance of detailed information about the world around us to the retina of the eye and integration centers in the brain. A translucent cornea and lens are required for light to reach the retina without distortion.
Vision research focuses on understanding the complexities of how we perceive the world around us and exploring ways to prevent and treat disorders and diseases of the eye. Researchers explore mechanisms and pathways of light transmittance and processing of visual information in the retina and brain to distinguish colors, observe details and track movements. Vision is affected by genetic and biochemical factors, the immune system, and incomplete or maladaptive wound healing. Research has led to advances in surgical techniques, drug development, tissue transplantation and stem cell and gene therapy that slow disease progression and restore sight.
PCOM faculty, staff and students focus on mechanisms of wound healing in the cornea, lens and retina, and factors that support retinal function. Our researchers discovered "Myo/Nog" cells whose contractions distort the lens after cataract surgery. This vision impairing disease, called posterior capsule opacification (PCO), can be prevented in animals by injecting a drug that kills Myo/Nog cells. Contractions of Myo/Nog cells also may detach the retina after surgery. Although these cells contribute to visual impairment, they also protect neurons in the retina. Supplementing the retina with Myo/Nog cells reduces cell death and improves visual function in degenerative conditions. Researchers are leveraging these findings to develop new therapeutic approaches to preserve vision.
First-year medical student Mara Crispin (DO '25) is first author of a research article that concludes Myo/Nog cells differentiate into myofibroblasts that contract and produce retinal folds and detachment. If not repaired immediately, the damaged vision cells lead to blindness.
Christopher Setura (DO '24) began vision research with Drs. George-Weinstein and Bravo-Nuevo while pursuing his biological sciences degree at Drexel University. Now a med student at PCOM, he studies the benefits of introducing exogenous Myo/Nog cells to the eyes of mice that have retinopathy of prematurity, which is the most common cause of blindness in human children.
In her time as a student at PCOM, Lindsay Gugerty, DO, explored the emerging roles of Myo/Nog cells in wound healing. Under the guidance of PCOM research staff, she explored the cells' ability to ingest or phagocytose foreign material and dead cells in the skin and eyes. This could lead to methods for preventing chronic inflammation and autoimmune disease.
After discovering Myo/Nog cells more than 30 years ago, Mindy George-Weinstein, PhD, and Jacquelyn Gerhart, MS, continue to research these important vision cells. In a published paper, their research team found eliminating Myo/Nog cells in lenses undergoing cataract surgery significantly reduced the severity of a vision-impairing disease in animal models.
PCOM aims to develop innovative approaches to promoting health through basic, translational, clinical, behavioral, education and community research projects.
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