An Investigation into the Mechanisms Underlying Retinal Disease and Retinal Regeneration

Dr. Brian Hafler, MD/PhD from the ophthalmology department at Yale University spoke about the role of inflammation in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Dr. Hafler identified two types of microglia, one being beneficial helping during the early disease stages of AMD with the clearance of cellular debris, and one causing being harmful during the late stages of the disease. By compare genetic expression profile of these two microglia groups he believe that we could harness the positive aspects of the beneficial microglia to alter disease progression in AMD. If successful this research has the potential to have a significant impact in the treatment of AMD.

During the second half of his presentation Dr. Hafler spoke about the regenerative capacity of Mueller glia cells and their potential to regenerate neurons that are lost in diseases such as glaucoma. Using gene expression analyses and Zebrafish as a model Dr. Hafler has identified a critical pathway that when activated in human retinal explant cultures can led to the generation of new retinal cells.