New vision research lab to spark collaborations

A new vision research lab will spark innovation and collaboration.

By: April Frawley Lacey

 

Pictured from left to right: William W. Hauswirth, PhD, professor of ophthalmology and the Maida and Morris Rybaczki eminent scholar chair in ophthalmic sciences; Suzanne Krahmer; Donald Krahmer Jr. (nephew of the Sanders); Sonal Tuli, MD, chair of the department of ophthalmology; Michael L. Good, MD, dean of the UF College of Medicine; and Brian F. Hofland, PhD, president of Research to Prevent Blindness. Photo by Jesse S. Jones

Pictured from left to right: William W. Hauswirth, PhD, professor of ophthalmology and the Maida and Morris Rybaczki eminent scholar chair in ophthalmic sciences; Suzanne Krahmer; Donald Krahmer Jr. (nephew of the Sanders); Sonal Tuli, MD, chair of the department of ophthalmology; Michael L. Good, MD, dean of the UF College of Medicine; and Brian F. Hofland, PhD, president of Research to Prevent Blindness. Photo by Jesse S. Jones

A new vision research lab at UF Health will spark innovation and bring together scientists and physicians from different disciplines. The new collaborative space houses the latest tools needed for groundbreaking eye research.

The 3,400-square-foot Research to Prevent Blindness Mildred Krahmer Sanders and William Clifford Sanders Laboratory for Vision Research, which opened July 30, serves as a core lab for vision research. The UF College of Medicine department of ophthalmology received a $600,000 grant from the nonprofit group Research to Prevent Blindness to renovate existing lab space to create the new lab.

The grant was made possible through a gift to Research to Prevent Blindness from the trust of Mildred Krahmer Sanders and William Clifford Sanders.

“Our department is nationally recognized for vision research and novel therapies to treat blinding eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration and retinal degeneration,” said Sonal Tuli, MD, chair of the department of ophthalmology. “This laboratory will allow us to enhance this research as well as expand our portfolio significantly by increasing research space and resources.”

Existing space was renovated to create the new laboratory. The lab houses advanced equipment necessary for vision research such as a confocal microscope, cell and tissue culture equipment, a histology suite to study tissue samples and an electroretinogram, or ERG, which detects early changes when the retina is damaged, as well as other core resources.

Research to Prevent Blindness has long partnered with UF, donating more than $4.42 million to date to UF College of Medicine researchers to pursue vision studies.