Pondering the Retina in Health and Disease with Jeremy Nathans

The neural cells in the retina of the eye capture and processes two-dimensional images of our world and send impulses via the optic nerve to the visual cortex where perception of the images occurs. Jeremy Nathans of Johns Hopkins University identified the genes encoding the light-sensitive proteins (opsins) in rod and cone photoreceptors and the molecular basis of color vision. He has made major contributions to understanding how the retina normally develops and functions, and he has elucidated the causes of several diseases of the eye including macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and Norrie disease. Here he talks about retinal phototransduction, evolution of the eye, and ‘Wnt’ and ‘Frizzled’ proteins that control the growth of blood vessels in the retina. Professor Nathan’s research is revealing new approaches for therapies for genetic and age-related diseases of the eye.

LINKS:

Evolution and physiology of human color vision:

Frizzled in development and disease:

Signaling pathways in neurovascular development:

Gene therapy for diseases of the retina: