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Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Seminar Series
Wed, Feb 03, 2016 @ 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Bala Ambati, Professor & Director of Corneal Research at the Moran Eye Center University of Utahrneal Research Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah
Talk Title: Rays vs. Shadows: Fighting Global Blindness through Ophthalmic Genetics & Bioengineering
Series: Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Seminar Series
Abstract: Over 30 million people are blind in both eyes, with another 200 million patients with significant loss of vision in one or both eyes. This is an unnecessary tragedy - 80% of this vision loss is preventable or treatable. Dr. Ambati share his journey in vision research and global health by showing how ocular biology and drug delivery can be married and employed to combat the principal challenges of our time in the world of vision - cataract, corneal scarring, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. He will his discuss his laboratory's innovations in drop-free cataract surgery, targeted intraceptor nanoparticles for macular degeneration and corneal transplant rejection, and neurovascular restoration in the diabetic retina. He will also lay out the landscape and opportunities in eye research and global blindness.
Biography: Bala Ambati is a cornea specialist with a research focus in angiogenesis. Dr. Ambati's team is presently focused on the role of sFlt-1 in maintaining ocular vascular demarcations, work which was awarded the 2012 ARVO/Genentech Award for Research in Macular Degeneration, the 2013 Troutman-Veronneau Prize & the 2014 Ludwig von Sallmann Clinician-Scientist Award. Clinically, Dr. Ambati was the first to describe use of bevacizumab (Avastin) to treat corneal transplant rejection. He has developed key surgical innovations and is developing transformational ocular drug delivery implants which will serve as a versatile platform for treating macular degeneration, glaucoma, and other diseases by sustained release of multiple drugs from within the lens capsule. Dr. Ambati has been recognized for his teaching excellence by a University of Utah Resident Research Mentor Award, the Gold Humanism Award, and by serving as an Instructor at the Harvard Cataract Course for 2009 and 2010.
Host: Dr. Anita Penkova
Location: Seaver Science Library (SSL) - 150
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Valerie Childress
