My lab is focused on finding treatments for the blinding retinal conditions I see in the clinic and operating room including 1) age-related macular degeneration, 2) inherited macular dystrophies and retinal degenerations, and 3) intraocular fibrosis from severe diabetic retinopathy and retinal detachment. By creating and characterizing animal models (rodents and pigs) using in vivo high-resolution imaging and ex vivo morphometric tissue analysis, we are gaining a better understanding of the mechanisms causing these diseases. With collaborators at the IVR and other institutions, we are carefully optimizing induced pluripotent stem cells, gene replacement, and optogenetic therapies for transplantation into these animals as well as assessing their immunologic tolerance and efficacy. Our ultimate goal is the introduction of the most promising therapies into humans to treat these incurable diseases.