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On the Front Lines of Visual Science
Among the Kellogg researchers to watch...
Howard Petty, Ph.D.
Photo: Dave Renwick |
The newest member of the Kellogg research faculty, Howard Petty is discovering
how ultra high-speed imaging of cell activity in the eye can reveal much about
these cell processes. Part medicine, part engineering, this technology may
well be the new standard for ophthalmic imaging.
“I did similar work for 20 years at Wayne State, but the research is
maturing and now I want to apply it in a more clinical setting. Kellogg is
the perfect place to do that. In a real cell, under real conditions, all the
small molecules and protons move about very quickly. With this imaging technique,
we can see waves and patterns of chemical reactions within living cells that
underlie the basic biology of the system. It may eventually help us to diagnose
many eye disorders before they become clinically apparent.”
David Zacks, Ph.D.
Photo: Gregory Fox |
Retina specialist David Zacks joined the Kellogg faculty last September. He
was recently awarded a Career Development grant from Research to Prevent Blindness
to study the process by which certain retinal cells die during retinal detachment,
a condition that causes severe vision loss and sometimes blindness.
“I’m very motivated in my research by the problems we see in the
clinics. That really brings research alive to me. I think the expansion will
take Kellogg from the great place it is now to being the premiere ophthalmic
institution in the world. I have no doubt that we are on track to becoming
the best eye center in the world. There’s no question in my mind.”
Mark Johnson, M.D. (Residency 1988)
Photo: Dave Renwick |
One of Kellogg’s most experienced retinal surgeons, Johnson is also
deeply involved in conducting clinical trials for new drugs to treat macular
degeneration. These drugs may be effective in stopping the growth of abnormal
blood vessels that grow onto the retina and impede vision. He’s also
the principal investigator in a series of studies to find drugs that can be
injected into the eye or even implanted, to halt this devastating blood vessel
growth.
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With increasing financial pressure on physicians, it’s important to be
part of a group that is highly ethical. That’s one of the things I admire
about the faculty at Michigan. They share a commitment to put the patient first,
even to the point of not allowing drug companies or other industry representatives
to come here to provide lunches. Patients can count on their interests being
paramount when decisions are made about treatment.”
Sayoko Moroi, M.D., Ph.D.
Photo: Martin Vloet |
In her work with glaucoma patients, Moroi is all too aware of the delicate,
often time-consuming process of prescribing the right drug at the right dose — a
balance that ranges widely from person to person. As one of the rising stars
in the field of pharmacogenetics, Moroi is learning how critically a patient’s
genetic makeup can affect treatment options.
“I’m looking at the complex interactions of several signaling
pathways to try to understand why, at the ocular level, people are responding
or not responding to drugs. And since Michigan is so strong in genetics, I
can take it further to look at a genetic basis. The excitement about pharmacogenetics
is that there is the potential for custom-designing therapy for a person based
on his or her genetic profile.”
Also:
In the Service of Sight
On the Front Lines of Visual Science
‘I have great admiration for the skills
and abilities of Kellogg physicians…’
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