Jackson Laboratory

Eye Research

Eye Research

Our Research Focus

Vision is a vitally important sense, but about 50 million people worldwide are blind and another 150 million are significantly vision-impaired. While trauma and infection can cause impairment, the majority of human eye diseases are genetic in nature. JAX performs research into the biology and genetics of vision, mutations that lead to impairment and blindness, and the mechanisms of eye disease.

Faculty & Staff

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Senior Research Scientist

Bo Chang, Ph.D.

Lab Staff, Predoc

Cory Diemler

Lab Staff, Software Engineer

Matthew Gerring, MEng

Postdoctoral Associate

Navdeep Gogna, Ph.D.

Computational Scientist

Jeffrey Harder, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Associate

Michael Maclean

Postdoctoral Associate

Olivia Marola, Ph.D.

Professor

Patsy Nishina, Ph.D.

Lab Staff

Naga Pradeep Rayana

Postdoctoral Associate

Alaina Reagan, Ph.D.

Research Scientist

Daniel Skelly, Ph.D.

Jarek Trapszo

Alumni

Fuxin Zhao, Ph.D.

Research Centers & Resources

Eye Mutant Resource

Describes mouse models for ocular research available at The Jackson Laboratory and provides a list of known mouse mutations that affect vision.

Mouse Genome Informatics

International database resource for the laboratory mouse, providing integrated genetic, genomic, and biological data.

Mouse Mutant Resource

Mice harboring spontaneous mutations have long been a major source for animal models of human genetic disorders, particularly mendelian diseases. The Mouse Mutant Resource...

Research HighlightMarch 30, 2022
JAX is shedding light on new treatments for eye disease
JAX Professor Patsy Nishina and her colleagues have developed mouse models for translational vision research that are now available to the wider biomedical research community.
- Rare Diseases
- Eye Research
Press ReleaseSeptember 16, 2019
New funding for a peerless resource for eye researchers worldwide
The National Eye Institute has made a four-year grant totaling $2,144,828 for continued funding for The Jackson Laboratory's Eye Mutant Resource.
- Vision
- Eye Research
Research HighlightJuly 17, 2018
New retinal ganglion cell subtypes emerge from single-cell RNA sequencing
UConn, JAX researchers classify 40 subtypes of RGCs and identify additional subtypes, markers and transcription factors.
- Vision
- Eye Research
Profile StoryApril 24, 2018
An eye for research
Simon John’s research and technologies have transformed the study of glaucoma.

Press ReleaseOctober 14, 2020
Diana Davis Spencer Foundation pledges $4M to JAX for vision research
Funding will support scientific research and training activities in the field of neurodegenerative diseases of the eye, including graduate and postdoctoral fellowship training and research projects in glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and ocular signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
Search MagazineNovember 15, 2018
Shedding light on new treatments for vision, eye problems
Recent success at The Jackson Laboratory in delivering corrected genes directly to the mouse eye holds promise for safe and effective gene therapy for inherited eye and vision problems.
Press ReleaseJune 26, 2018
JAX receives $1.5 million for glaucoma research
Gareth Howell named Diana Davis Spencer Foundation Chair for Glaucoma Research
Blog PostApril 19, 2018
How to Refresh Your Mutant or Transgenic Mouse Strains
Maintaining experimental mouse colonies is a lot like juggling. There are a lot of balls that you have to keep in the air all the time. You need to evaluate the breeding performance, adjust the colony size to match required production, genotype the mice, and then plan and execute your experiments. It is easy to have concerns about genetic drift far down on your list of priorities. However, for mutant or transgenic mouse strains on inbred backgrounds dealing with potential genetic drift needs to be a priority.