Iowa Eye Association News Sept, 2001. Series 2, no. 36.

University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

NOTE: This page is for archival purposes only and may contain information that is outdated.

The Center for Macular Degeneration

In late 1997, the Board of Regents approved the creation of a center that would allow world class physicians and scientists from a number of disciplines to assemble at the University of Iowa for the purpose of working toward a cure for macular degeneration. Creation of the Center for Macular Degeneration has involved recruitment of new faculty, reorganization of existing faculty, construction and renovation of large amounts of laboratory space, and the acquisition of a significant number of new scientific and clinical instruments.

Medical Education and Biomedical Research Facility

A major focus of the Center is the development of gene-directed therapy for eye diseases. Investigators at the Center believe that the discovery and characterization of these genes will contribute directly to improve methods of diagnosis and therapy. Eventually clinicians may be able to replace or inactivate abnormal genes. However, more conventional treatments such as medicines or surgery are more likely to be used to treat common disorders such as age-related macular degeneration. The development and application of these therapies will be greatly aided by detailed knowledge of the predisposing genes as well as by improved understanding of the causes of each disease that will result from this genetic knowledge.

The Center is made of several components: the Clinical Sciences and Applications Group, the Molecular Ophthalmology Laboratory, the Laboratory for Disease Gene Discovery, the Gene Therapy Group, the Genome Research Laboratory, the Cell Biology and Functional Genomics Group, the Coordinated Laboratory for Computational Genomics, and the Low Vision Rehabilitation Service. Investigators working in fields that appear only distantly related to macular degeneration (such as glaucoma, high-performance computing, and the rat genome project) have provided valuable new information that will ultimately benefit patients affected with AMD.

Some individuals at the Center are investigating common disorders such as AMD and glaucoma. A detailed understanding of the clinical features of these highly prevalent and complex diseases is essential for the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Other investigators study patients with rare conditions whose features overlap more common conditions. Such study has revealed genes that have made fundamental changes in the way we think about human macular diseases. Still other investigators study the genomes of humans and certain model organisms to develop approaches for discovering disease-causing genes. A final group of investigators will develop animal models of human diseases and develop ways to treat these animals that will be applicable to treating human beings more effectively.

The Center presently occupies over 29,000 square feet over several locations on the Iowa City and Oakdale campuses. During the winter of 2001-2002, the Medical Education and Biomedical Research Facility (MEBRF) will be completed and parts of the Center will move to new quarters on the 4^th floor. The Gene Discovery Laboratory, the Genome Research Laboratory, the Molecular Ophthalmology Laboratory, Cell Biology and Functional Genomics, and Computational Genomics will occupy space in the building with a net gain of 4,000 square feet of laboratory space. The Gene Therapy component will remain in its present location and space will be retained as well in the Ecktein Medical Research Building, the Engineering Building, and on the Oakdale Campus. In all, the Center will occupy 16,000 square feet of the MEBRF and 17,000 square feet in other buildings.