• Dopamine and dopamine neurons in normal and diseased retinas. 
  
  
• Elucidating photoreceptor biology to understand (and combat) retinal degenerative diseases (RDDs).  
  
  
• Molecular and cellular mechanisms of age-related macular degeneration e.g. Role of hyperhomocysteinemia. 
  
  
• Molecular and cellular mechanisms of microvascular dysfunction (hyperpermeability and neovascularization) in diabetic retinopathy in particular role of bioactive lipids, homocysteine and bone morphogenetic proteins. 
  
  
• New therapies for retinopathy of prematurity. 
  
  
• Traumatic optic neuropathy. 

Our Research Roots
Co-founder and first director of the ERI, Dr. V. Everett Kinsey was the recipient of the 1956 Albert Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award from the Lasker Foundation for his outstanding work as coordinator of the National Cooperative Study of Retrolental Fibroplasia.

With the help of 75 ophthalmologists and pediatricians in 18 hospitals, this study confirmed conclusively earlier observations that the incidence of blindness among premature babies increased with the duration of exposure to oxygen.

Previous research had eliminated other possible etiologic agents, such as virus infection, lack of hormones in the infant, exposure of the premature infant's eyes to light, lack of vitamin A in the mother, the administration of various vitamins and iron, blood transfusions and cow's milk. Dr. Kinsey, a biochemist, had participated in many of the studies on these possible agents.

Within a period of six months, data were accumulated through the cooperative study that would have taken a single hospital several years. Among babies weighing less than 1500 grams at birth, 25 percent of the infants receiving routine oxygen developed cicatricial retrolental fibroplasia, while only 6 percent of the infants on curtailed oxygen had the condition. The study showed that limiting the oxygen was without effect on survival.

In the United States alone, putting into effect the results of this coordinated research should prevent blindness in several hundred premature infants each year.

In addition to individual investigators' labs, the ERI and OUWB-ERC have a core facility that contains the necessary equipment for morphological, molecular, and functional studies. There are currently four modules and one director for each module:

Microscopy Module: The Ocular Structure and Imaging (OSI) facility is supervised by Andrew Goldberg, Ph.D., and is staffed a full-time M.Sc.-level digital imaging associate supported by the university. It offers instrumentation and expertise in support of electron and light microscopy studies.

In Vivo Imaging Module: Directed by Amany Tawfik, M.D., M.Sc. This module allows for studying changes in retinal structure and vessels by the fluorescein angiogram and the Optical Coherence Tomogram (OCT). It also allows induction of experimental choroidal neovascularization using laser source (Phoenix Technology Group).

Retinal Function Assessment Module: Directed by Daoqi Zhang, Ph.D., it contains:

1. Diagnosys Celeris Electrophysiology System: It provides a full-field dark-adapted and light-adapted electroretinogram (ERG) testing, flash visual evoked potential (VEP) testing, simultaneous ERG and VEP protocol provided, both eyes can be tested individually and automatically, and an anesthesia machine specifically designed to safely deliver isoflurane to mice.
2. Cerebral Mechanics OptoMotry-AT System: It provides real-time behavioral testing of optokinetic response for small laboratory animals (rats and mice), spatial frequency and contrast sensitivity testing and manual and automatic trial control and tracking assessment.
3. NeurOptics A-2000 Small Animal Pupillometer System: It provides pupillary evaluation in small laboratory animals (rats and mice) in real-time, the binocular dual-camera system measures both eyes at once, four ultra-bright color light stimuli (white, green, blue, and red), and light intensities defined in lux or pure radiometric units (W/m2), stimulates direct, consensual, or both eyes simultaneously and automatic tracking and pupil detection.

Molecular and Cellular Biology Module: Directed by Kenneth Mitton, Ph.D., it provides dedicated suites for tissue culture, gene-expression, and genomic analyses.

In addition, a Pediatric Retinal Research Laboratory suite, also supervised by Mitton, is occupied by two physician scientists: Michael Trese, M.D., and Kimberly Drenser, M.D., Ph.D. It houses a full ocular phenotyping and surgical suite used for characterizing rodent disease models. This includes an additional set of FA/OCT (Bioptigen’s OCT 3).