Guest Editors
Ian M. MacDonald
University of Alberta, Department of Medical Genetics and Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Ian M. MacDonald MSc, MD CM is an ophthalmologist and clinical geneticist. After beginning his professional career in Ottawa, Canada as an Ontario Ministry of Health Career Scientist, he moved to Alberta in Western Canada where he served 4 terms as Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences of the University of Alberta, Edmonton. He was Branch Chief, Ophthalmic Genetics and Visual Function, at the National Eye Institute of NIH for 2 years before returning to Edmonton in 2009. Dr. MacDonald’s area of clinical and research interest is inherited retinal disorders.
Paul W. Chrystal
University of Alberta, Department of Biological Sciences
Dr. Paul W. Chrystal is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Canada. His main research interests are the study of rare genetic diseases that impact the cilium, and ocular development and disease. Dr. Chrystal began his research career while completing a BSc in Biological Sciences at the University of Manchester, UK. In the lab of Prof. Michael Briggs he investigated the contribution of endoplasmic reticulum stress to the long bone phenotype of pseudoachondroplasia. During an MRes and PhD at Newcastle University, UK, Dr. Chrystal switched focus to study the contribution of the eukaryotic cilium to human disease. In the labs of Dr. Bill Chaudhry and Prof. Deborah Henderson he undertook research to demonstrate a contribution of the planar cell polarity gene, jnk1, in ciliogenesis and cardiac development. While there he was also involved in the study of Bardet-Biedl syndrome gene BBS5 and its requirement for normal ocular development in zebrafish. Dr. Chrystal moved to the University of Alberta, Canada, for Postdoctoral training with a focus on the contribution of ciliary genes to ocular disease. During this time he has investigated the disease etiology of human ocular diseases including Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome, pigmentary glaucoma and retinitis pigmentosa. His current studies focus on the contribution of the cilium to normal ocular development and human disease.
Nicole C. L. Noel
University of Alberta, Department of Medical Genetics
Nicole C. L. Noel MSc is a PhD candidate in the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of Alberta, Canada. She studies photoreceptor biology and disease with a focus on ocular genetics and disease modelling. In her past work, she characterized photoreceptor-photoreceptor connectivity in the zebrafish retina and assessed how these connections changed between early development and adulthood. Currently, she researches molecular mechanisms underlying inherited photoreceptor degenerations, utilizing zebrafish to model photoreceptor disease. She has identified novel genetic associations with inherited retinal dystrophies and generated a zebrafish model of retinitis pigmentosa with subretinal lipid deposits.
Collection Overview
The visual system is extremely complex and can function only through the interplay of many tissue and cell types. Dysfunction in any of these tissues or cell types can result in vision loss and blindness; however, our understanding of disease mechanisms is limited, resulting in few therapeutic avenues for the treatment of many ocular conditions. Animal models of blinding conditions are therefore necessary to further this field. Furthermore, robust visual assessment in these models is paramount to assess therapeutic success. The objective of this Methods Collection is to provide protocols that assess vision in a variety of live animal models. Longitudinal assessment of vision is necessary to characterize disease progression and to ascertain whether interventions are successful in preventing vision loss. There are numerous excellent animal models utilized to investigate visual defects and progressive blinding diseases, and this collection aims to highlight a diversity of systems.
Articles
Abstracts
Recording Light Responses in the V1 Visual Cortex of CHM Blind Model Mice
Yin Shen*1
1Professor and Director Eye Institute Wuhan University Renmin Hospital
Visualizing rod photoreceptor outer segment renewal in mice
Dianlei Guo*1
1Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou,
Establishment of a TGF-β–Induced Rodent Myopia Model Using Subcutaneous Upper-Eyelid Injection
Ying-Chi Chen1,
Yu-An Hsu2,
Chen-Hao Chen3,
Yung-Lan Chou4,
Jeng-Rung Chen*1,
Lei Wan*5
1Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung-Hsing University,
2School of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University,Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Chemistry, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan,
3School of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University,Taichung, Taiwan,
4Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan,
5School of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan