The Vision Institute established

Salt Lake City-The John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah has established The Vision Institute, which is designed to bridge research efforts across University of Utah colleges and departments and foster multidisciplinary collaborations to accelerate research to new patient treatments.

“The Vision Institute creates an environment for sciences to work together and connects research throughout the campus,” said Randall J. Olson, MD, professor and chairman of the department of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Utah, and chief executive officer of the John A. Moran Eye Center.

Forming The Vision Institute includes the establishment of the Moran Center for Translational Medicine. “Our goal is the acceleration of the translation of basic scientific discoveries to clinically effective diagnostics and therapies for the treatment of devastating eye disorders such as age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma, as well as other diseases with shared etiologies,” Dr. Olson said.

“The scope of research and technical expertise in the John A. Moran Eye Center now far transcends the study of vision and extends into systemic disease biology, cancer research, brain plasticity, gene therapies, new imaging technologies, and new molecular tools. The collaborative relationships of our faculty range from physics and computer sciences to bioengineering and infectious diseases. It is fitting to encompass this ever-broadening scientific horizon in The Vision Institute, with its far larger scientific and translational missions," said Robert Marc, PhD, director of research at the John A. Moran Eye Center.