The primary objective of this application is to provide NEI-funded vision scientists with state-of-the-art, shared technical support to enhance their individual research efforts. A secondary goal is to foster collaborative research, as a means of attracting scientists who currently do not work on the visual system to the field of eye research. These objectives will be achieved through the activity of four core modules, which will provide the following services: 1. A Morphology &Imaging module will provide technical support and expertise in the morphological analysis of ocular cells and tissues at the light and electron microscopic level. 2. A Visual Function Testing module will provide equipment and technical expertise for the assessment of visual performance in experimental animal model systems. 3. A Molecular Genetics module will provide assistance and expertise in the production of transgenic/knockout/knockin mice, construction of gene constructs, and preparation of DNA clones and probes. 4. A Biostatistics module will assist in the design and implementation of pilot studies, provide statistical and methodological expertise in study design, assure the validity of statistical analyses and reported results, and assist in training residents and clinicians in areas of research methodology. Provision of these support services and resources will greatly enhance the research capabilities of investigators at Washington University and will facilitate collaboration among new and established vision scientists.
The vision research community at Washington Universtity is large and diverse and makes a substantial contribution to the diagnosis and treatment of blinding eye disease. The provision of shared resources and technical support through the Vision Science Core allows investigators to achieve more progress on their NEI-funded projects than would have been possible otherwise.
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