Iowa Eye Association News Nov. 2003. Series 2, no. 38.

University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

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Bioinformatics Center Signs Contract with Alcon Research

The Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (CBCB) signed a five-year, $1.5 million contract with Alcon Research, Ltd. in January, for two projects to help identify the causes of glaucoma, leading to better diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

The first project, whose principal investigator is Terry Braun, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, involves developing a novel bioinformatics system to identify potential glaucoma therapeutic targets and to accelerate mutation screening of glaucoma candidate genes. This new system will annotate and manage all gene-associated data, help identify and prioritize glaucoma candidate genes and identify potential therapeutic targets.

The second project, whose principal investigator is Dr. Beverly Davidson, Professor of Internal Medicine, involves gene transfer to discover and characterize pathways involved in human glaucoma.

The relationship between the University of Iowa and Alcon Research, Ltd. dates back to a 1993 collaboration with the UI's Molecular Ophthalmology Laboratory (MOL), directed by Dr. Edwin Stone, which was extended in 1998 to include the Coordinated Laboratory for Computational Genomics (CLCG) headed by Dr. Braun.

The CBCB is a joint enterprise of the University of Iowa College of Engineering and the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, and works to cooperate with other units, including the UI Center for Macular Degeneration. The CBCB is directed by Dr. Tom Casavant, who has a secondary appointment with the Department of Ophthalmology.

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