2020 vision: Research communicators pick their most memorable stories December 17, 2020
It remains without saying that 2020 has offered unprecedented challenges. In the earliest weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, classrooms emptied, and instruction and outreach quickly transitioned to remote delivery. Research labs, ultimately reopened with modifications for health and safety, were closed for nearly all but those researchers studying the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its effects.
Yet, our community is filled with examples of resilience, dedication and passion. We have the privilege of covering the work of its researchers and students, whose efforts seem more important than ever as we confront the realities of a pandemic. This year has reminded all of us just how much science, and its connection to humanity, influences our lives. Here are the stories that stood out most to us this year.
UWâMadison leads DoD-funded effort to restore vision to injured service members and people with disease For news media
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Human pluripotent stem cell-derived photoreceptors (cell bodies labeled in red, nuclei labeled in blue) grown on a biodegradable scaffold. Image courtesy of Allison Ludwig, Gamm Lab
A team of researchers led by University of WisconsinâMadison professor David Gamm is developing a transplantable retinal patch intended to help restore vision to military personnel blinded in the line of duty and to treat individuals with degenerative eye diseases such as macular degeneration.
The technology, funded by a U.S. Department of Defense grant exceeding $5 million, will be based on a system in which human induced pluripotent cells are used to generate light-responsive eye cells called photoreceptors along with the cells that support them, called retinal pigment epithelium.