CVS Faculty in the News
2024
Congrats to Glen Yiu, MD PhD who received the 2024 Carl Camras Translational Research Award at this year's ARVO meetng. Read more about this news »
Congratulations Anna La Torre, PhD who was promoted to Full Professor.
Congrats To Anna La Torre who is PI on a UC Davis Cultivating Team Science award that was just funded: "On-Sight (Optic Nerve Special Interest Group for Human Therapeutics): Developing Novel Models of Retinal Ganglion Cell Degeneration."
Congratulations to the Burns Lab for their recent publication in Journal of Neuroinflammation! Neuroscience PhD student Kaitryn Ronning found that monocytes from the bloodstream enter the retina during degeneration and take up long-term residence alongside the resident macrophages of the retina, called microglia. Kaity is now a postdoc in the lab of Dr. Florian Sennlaub at Institut de la Vision in Paris and already publishing on her new results there as well, investigating the role of splenic monocytes in retinal degeneration. Well done Kaity!
Expression patterns of CYP26A1, FGF8, CDKN1A, and NPVF in the developing rhesus monkey retina
The La Torre Lab, has a new paper "Expression patterns of CYP26A1, FGF8, CDKN1A, and NPVF in the developing rhesus monkey retina" published in the journal, Differentiation.
Catalyst for a Cure initiative funding
The Catalyst for a Cure 3 Team (Derek Welsbie, Anna La Torre, Tom Brunner -president and CEO of GRF-, Yang Hu, and Xin Duan)
The Glaucoma Research Foundation has renewed the Catalyst for a Cure initiative funding for the La Torre lab for another year. In the picture the Catalyst for a Cure 3 Team (Derek Welsbie, Anna La Torre, Tom Brunner -president and CEO of GRF-, Yang Hu, and Xin Duan)
Fulbright US Distinguished Chair Award
Ron Mangun received a Fulbright US Distinguished Chair Award to visit and conduct research in the Center for Human Brain Health at the University of Birmingham, U.K. in 2025. He will conduct magnetoencephalography (MEG) research that will compliment his current NSF grant on Free Will and Attention. As part of the award, he will also be appointed a Visiting Fellow of the Institute for Advanced Studies at Birmingham.
Exploring Vision, Perception and Behavior: W. Martin Usrey Named Barbara A. Horwitz and John M. Horowitz Endowed Chair in Physiology
Amblyopia, or reduced vision from one eye, affects approximately two to three of every 100 children, according to the National Eye Institute. Today the disability is correctable, but it wasn't until the 20th century that scientists realized the eye wasn't responsible for the condition. Its origin was in how the eye and brain worked together.
"Back in the day, no one realized that there was a 'critical period' in childhood, where this could be corrected," said Professor W. Martin Usrey, chair of the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior. "Through basic science, that was discovered." Read more...
2023
Celebrating with a retina flat-mount cake
Mikaela Louie a graduate student from the La Torre lab gave her exit seminar and graduated in the fall of 2023.
2016
March 2016
Sacramento donor makes $38.5 million gift to UC Davis Health System
UC Davis Health System today announced receiving $38.5 million in gifts and pledges from Ernest E. Tschannen to support the UC Davis Eye Center and the Center for Vision Science. These gifts make Tschannen (pronounced CHAN-nen) the largest individual donor to UC Davis in the university's 108-year history. Read more...
2015
April 2015
UC Davis neuroscientist recognized for color vision and aging contributions
John S. Werner, a UC Davis neuroscientist and international authority on visual perception, has been selected to receive the 2015 Verriest Medal from the International Colour Vision Society for his contributions to understanding the structural and functional basis of color vision, how and why vision changes across the life span, and factors that contribute to loss of vision associated with disease. He will receive the award at the society's biennial symposium in Sendai, Japan, on July 4.
April 23, 2015
Rare mutation causes vitamin A deficiency and eye deformities
Dr. Tom Glaser, Professor of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy and other researchers at the University of Michigan and UC Davis have solved a genetic mystery that has afflicted three unrelated families, and possibly others, for generations. These families have been plagued by a variety of congenital eye malformations, including small eyes with poor vision and the complete absence of eyes. But until now, no one could figure out the genetic basis for these conditions.
January 9, 2015
CVS Event -- Center for Vision Sciences Symposium - Key note speaker Marty Friedlander
2014
July 2014
UC Davis eye surgeon receives Castroviejo Medal from the Cornea Society
Mark J. Mannis, professor and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science and director of the UC Davis Eye Center, has received the Castroviejo Medal from the Cornea Society for his significant contributions in the field of cornea and anterior segment surgery. The medal, named in honor of Ramon Castroviejo, the father of modern corneal transplant surgery and the inspiration for the founding of the Cornea Society, is the society's highest honor. Read more...
January 3, 2014
CVS Event -- Center for Vision Sciences Symposium - Key note speaker Brian A. Wandell
2013
October 1, 2013
Emerging technologies look deeper into the eyes to catch signs of disease
John S. Werner, PhD, a professor of ophthalmology and neuroscience at the University of California, Davis, is working on combining AO with OCT. He's also developed a new version of OCT called phase-variance OCT. Read more...
July 15, 2013
UC Davis Health System's Eye Center has received a $250,000 Career Development Award from Research to Prevent Blindness to support the research of Ala Moshiri, an assistant professor of ophthalmology and director of electrophysiology services at the Eye Center.
July 13, 2013
Researchers find diminished balance in those with poor vision
UC Davis Health System Eye Center research has found that visually impaired individuals and those with uncorrected refractive error — those who could benefit from glasses to achieve normal vision but don't wear glasses — have a significantly greater risk of diminished balance with their eyes closed on a compliant, foam surface than individuals with normal vision. Read more...
July 13, 2013
Mannis recognized for contributions to ophthalmology
Mark J. Mannis, director of the UC Davis Eye Center, has been named to the University of Florida College of Medicine's Wall of Fame. Learn more...
January 4, 2013
CVS Event -- Center for Vision Sciences Symposium - Key note speaker Edward Callaway
Center for Vision Sciences Symposium - Key note speaker Edward Callaway
"Of Mice and Monkeys: A Journey into the Visual System"
This talk will take a journey through studies of the monkey and mouse visual system that have been conducted in my lab over the last 17 years. I will first describe experiments that were aimed at understanding how local circuits in the monkey primary visual cortex integrate information from parallel input streams, and redistribute this information to extrastriate visual areas. These studies illustrate how difficult and tedious it has been using traditional methods to address detailed questions about how cortical microcircuits relate to visual function. I will then discuss studies demonstrating that cortical connections are cell type specific and that there are fine scale subcircuits embedded within cortical columns. These observations illustrate the need for a new generation of molecular and genetic tools that have been developed in recent years that allow studies linking neural circuits to function at the level of cell types and even single neurons. I will describe a rabies virus based mono-transsynaptic tracing system that has been developed in my lab that allows labeling of the direct presynaptic inputs to single neurons or specific cell types. This new generation of molecular and genetic tools can at present be used most powerfully in mice, where it is more straightforward to restrict gene expression to cell types than in monkeys. We are therefore both developing better tools for genetic targeting of cell types in monkeys and conducting studies of the organization and function of the mouse visual system. We have used intrinsic signal imaging and 2-photon calcium imaging to demonstrate functional retinotopic maps of extrastriate visual areas in the mouse and to functionally characterize the neurons in seven areas. These observations reveal both parallels and differences between the functional organization of extrastriate visual areas in mice and monkeys and lay the ground for future studies that allow the genetic tools in mice to be used to study how microcircuits mediate interactions between cortical areas and subcortical structures.
2012
September 11, 2012
Telescopic implant restores vision in patient with advanced macular degeneration
Surgeons at UC Davis Medical Center have successfully implanted a new telescope implant in the eye of a patient with end-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most advanced form of the disease and a leading cause of blindness in older Americans. Read more...
April 3, 2012
UC Davis continues to support vision research
UC Davis's Administrative Coordinating Council of Deans (ACCD) has announced the renewal of CVS for another 5 years. Under the directorship of Paul FitzGerald, PhD, the CVS will continue to grow, with the goals of increasing public outreach, forging stronger ties with industry, and continuing the foster collaborations between basic and clinical sciences engaged in vision research campus-wide.
February 21, 2012
Richard Kramer, PhD (UC Berkeley): "Photocontrol of ion channels, neurons, and blind retinas"
Visiting Professor, Richard Kramer, PhD (UC Berkeley) presented his seminar "Photocontrol of ion channels, neurons, and blind retinas" to more than 30 vision scientists and their trainees, as well as additional members of the Center for Neuroscience and Department of Neurology. After the seminar, Dr. Kramer participated in a journal club discussion with grad students, faculty and postdocs that had been studying some of his papers and other literature in the field of negative and positive feedback in the outer retina. Thank you, Rich, for a stimulating discussion, as always.
January 6, 2012
Annual Vision Research Symposium: "Molecular Genetics of Eye Disease"
The Annual CVS Research Symposium will be held on Friday, January 6, 2012 in Valley Hall, Room 1041. The theme this year is "Molecular Genetics of Eye Disease". We will be having two distinguished speakers, Eric Pierce, MD, PhD from MEEI/Harvard, and Neeraj Agarwal, PhD, the Program Director for Glaucoma and Optic Neuropathies, as well as the training programs at the National Eye Institute. This is a perfect opportunity to hear about the big changes in research and funding, and to showcase vision research at UC Davis. Please plan to attend!
2011
November 28, 2011
Recent and Notable Literature -- Evolution's Witness: How Eyes Evolved
Dr. Ivan Schwab has published a stunning new book entitled Evolution's Witness: How Eyes Evolved. In his book, Dr. Schwab presents the evolutionary history of the eye in great detail, tracking back 4600 million years ago, before the development of the first known eye, to the present. The book can be found and purchased here, and Dr. Schwab's blog can be found here.
March 24, 2011
Recent and Notable Literature
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) remains one of the most prevalent causes of blindness around the world. In a recent review article, UC Davis Vision scientist Dr. Larry Hjelmeland summarizes the molecular mechanisms by which environmental and genetic risk factors alter gene expression dynamically and contribute to AMD and other complex diseases. The article can be found here.
2010
December 17, 2010
Recent and Notable Literature -- Those highly visual mice!
A commonplace misapprehension about mice is that they have poor vision, and in particular, that as "nocturnal animals" that they have negligible cone vision. A recent quantitative behavioral investigation by Frank Naarendorp of Northeastern University, Ed Pugh of UC Davis and colleagues published in the Journal of Neuroscience has shown the common view to be completely wrong. The article can be found here.
April 19, 2010
Milestones -- Jack Werner's research highlighted in Parade
April 19, 2010 — Dr. Jack Werner and colleagues were highlighted recently in Parade Magazine, in an article written by the NIH Director, Dr. Francis Collins. Collins praised the UC Davis team for advancing the technique of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) for improving detection of retinal diseases in children. The article can be found here.
January 8, 2010
CVS Vision Research Symposium
The second CVS Vision Research Symposium was an afternoon session of talks and discussion on ocular wounds. Faculty, graduate, and medical students from numerous UC Davis departments attended and provided intriguing discussion on methods of addressing corneal wounds. The talks detailed how tissues respond on the cellular level to the wound environment both through electrical biochemical cues, and also indogenous measures to protect against environmental stresses such as ischemia.
2009
November 21, 2009
Milestones -- Ed Pugh Speaks at NEI Anniversary
Dr. Ed Pugh, one of our newest vision science faculty at UC Davis, was 1 of 4 invited speakers at the recent Neuroscience and "Vision" Symposium held at the National Institutes of Health, on the occasion of the National Eye Institute's 40th anniversary. Dr. Pugh's lab studies the physiology and cell biology of mammalian cone photoreceptors, and is interested in understanding how defects in protein trafficking in photoreceptors often lead to apoptosis and photoreceptor degeneration. For more information, visit his lab website.
December 1, 2009
CVS Meeting and Seminar -- Drs. Jay and Maureen Neitz
The Neitz's present back-to-back lectures showing a very intriguing set of data and experiments around the phenominon of color blindness and the potential impact for therapies.
April 16, 2009
CVS Meeting and Seminar -- Dr. Brian Wandell
This fascinating talk by Dr. Brian Wandell outlined cutting-edge visualization of cortical fiber pathways, linking these pathways to functional maps, and discussing future applications and controvercial uses.
March 26, 2009
CVS Meeting and Seminar -- Dr. Andrew Ishida
This meeting included a talk by Dr. Andrew Ishida from the department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior on the role and organization of HCN subunits in retinal ganglion cells.
January 9, 2009
CVS Vision Research Symposium
The Center for Visual Sciences held the first Vision Research Symposium on January 9, 2009 covering many areas of vision science researched by UC Davis faculty and collaborators. Read more...
2008
November 6, 2008
CVS Meeting and Seminar -- Dr. Paul FitzGerald
The meeting on November 6th, was the first of the academic year, and included a fascinating talk by Dr. Paul FitzGerald on lens intermediate filaments and their contribution to the structure and function of mammalian lenses.