[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Contact Us ] [ Site Map ]
The Raymond Lund Laboratory
Raymond D. Lund, Ph.D.

 
Goal:  To understand, prevent and repair photoreceptor degeneration

 

Degeneration of photoreceptors as a result of genetic defects affecting either the photoreceptors themselves or the associated retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) represents the leading cause of blindness in humans for which no suitable treatment exists. The presence of animal models, particularly rodents with diseases homologous or analogous to human disorders, provides an opportunity to explore potential therapeutic approaches that might eventually be applied in the clinic.

We focus on transplantation of cells to the subretinal space of Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats, transgenic rats with human rhodopsin mutations and a rhodopsin knockout mouse. Emphasis is given to seeking cell sources other than freshly acquired RPE cells because of the logistic, ethical and safety concerns of using fresh cells in clinical practice. Major attention is also given to correlating functional efficacy with anatomical rescue. Besides the direct relation to investigating therapeutic potentials, the approach allows examination of the basic biology of primary and secondary degeneration as well as repair, which in itself will provide insights into factors that may influence photoreceptor survival.

Specific Projects:

A) Understanding retinal degeneration

B) Preventive transplantation

C) Retinal reconstruction

D) Functional assessment of vision

 
Ongoing Collaborations
P. Coffey: University of Sheffield, UK.

J. Greenwood: Inst. Ophthalmol., London, UK.

M. Hankin: Medical College of Ohio.

D. Keegan: Inst. Ophthalmol., London, UK.

J. Lawrence: Inst. Ophthalmol., London, UK.

G. Prusky: University of Lethbridge, Canada.

M. Vidal-Sanz: University of Murcia, Spain.

M Villegas-Perez: University of Murcia, Spain.

M. Young: Schepens Eye Res. Inst.

     Harvard University.

 
More Information:
Raymond D. Lund, Ph.D.
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Moran Eye Center
University of Utah Health Sciences Center
75 North Medical Ddrive
Salt Lake City, UT 84132
Phone: 801.581.8142
Fax:  801.585.1295
Email:  raymond.lund@hsc.utah.edu
Selected Publications

Girman SV, Sauvé Y, Lund RD (1999) Receptive field properties of single neurons in the rat primary visual cortex. J. Neurophysiol. 82: 301-311.

Kwan ASL, Wang S, Lund RD (1999) Photoreceptor layer reconstruction in rodent model of retinal degeneration. Exp Neurol 159:21-23.

Lawrence JM, Whiteley SJO, Sauvé Y, Keegan DJ, Coffey PJ, Lund RD (2000). Schwann cell grafting into the retina of the dystrophic RCS rat limits functional deterioration. IOVS 41:518-528.

Wang S, Villegas-Perez MP, Vidal-Sanz M, Lund RD (2000) Progressive optic axon dystrophy and vascular changes in rd mice. IOVS 41: 537-545.

Sauvé Y, Girman SV, Wang S, Lawrence JM and Lund RD (2001) Progressive visual sensitivity loss in the RCS rat: perimetric study in the superior colliculus and retinal anatomy. Neurosci 103:51-63.

Lund RD, Kwan ASL, Keegan DJ, Sauvé Y, Coffey PJ, Lawrence JM (2001) Cell transplantation as a treatment for retinal dystrophies. Prog. Ret. Eye Res. 20:415-449.

R. D. Lund, P. Adamson, Y. Sauvé, D. J. Keegan, S.V.Girman, S. Wang, H. Winton, N. Kanuga, A. S.L.Kwan, L. Beauchène, A. Zerbib, L. Hetherington, P. -O. Couraud, P. Coffey and J. Greenwood (2001). Subretinal transplantation of genetically modified human cell lines attenuates loss of visual function in dystrophic rats. PNAS. 98:9942-9947.

P.J.Coffey, S.Girman, S.M.Wang, L. Hetherington, D.J.Keegan, P.Adamson, J. Greenwood and R.D.Lund (2002) Long- term preservation of cortically dependent visual function in RCS rats by transplantation. Nature Neurosci . 5:53-56.

 
 
[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Patient Care ] [ Education ] [ Research ] [ Moran Eye Center ] [ The Moran Eye Center Campaign for Vision ]
John A. Moran Eye Center 50 North Medical Drive Salt Lake City UT 84132
Disclaimer Telephone 801.581.2352  Fax 801.581.3357