The Eye-Bank’s Research Program plays an important role in advancing new treatments and potential cures for blinding eye diseases. Thanks to the generosity of eye donors who give consent for their gifts to be used for this important purpose, researchers are able to learn more about how eye diseases progress and understand how various conditions affect eye tissue. Eye-Bank Research and Relationship Development Manager YoneJung “YJ” Yoon, Ph.D. works closely with researchers across the country and internationally, providing a variety specialized ocular tissues for specific research needs.
New Additions Will Include:
Retinal Glial Cells – These light-sensitive cells transmit visual signals to the brain. In research, they are used in pharmaceutical development and therapeutic applications for retina degenerative diseases.
Müller Cells – The specialized glial cell in the human retina, Müller cells play a critical role in the retina’s structural integrity and metabolic support. These cells can be used to find early biomarkers and drug screening for eye disease. They are also used in pharmaceutical and medical research.
Iris Pigment Epithelium (IPE) – These cells share the same origin point as retinal pigmented epithelial cells (RPE) and is why researchers are exploring the use of IPE cells as a replacement for RPE cells in clinical trials for degenerative eye diseases like age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Paraffin Block – Thanks to anewly-established partnership with the Department of Pathology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the Eye-Bank now offers paraffin-embedded tissue blocks, preparation tissue slides and staining.
Ocular research not only contributes to advancing treatments and cures for eye conditions, it can also contribute to a greater understanding of other conditions, like neurodegenerative disease. Dr. Yoon recently shared this comment about biomarkers –
“Donor eye tissue can be used to identify biomarkers and enable early detection of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. I have a background in neurological disorders, so I find that particular research very exciting.” – YoneJung “YJ” Yoon, Ph.D.
Researchers seeking specially prepared ocular tissue for their studies may request tissue through our website, on scientist.com, or may find us on EyeFind, the research request portal offered by Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).