About Our Research
The John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah supports 20 research labs and centers, where internationally-awarded faculty, including one of the top retinal teams, are developing the treatments of tomorrow. The Moran Eye Center has ranked as high as seventh in the U.S. for National Institutes of Health funding.
Research Centers
Moran invests in the full spectrum of research, supporting basic research that adds to our foundation of knowledge and then providing the tools to translate discoveries into new therapies and treatments. Among the work of our renowned-research centers:
Intermountain Ocular Research Center
Physicians and companies worldwide use the Intermountain Ocular Research Center to vet artificial lenses used for cataract surgery.
Sharon Eccles Steele Center for Translational Medicine
The SCTM is fast-tracking new therapies for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), using the world’s largest repository of donor eye tissue of its kind and data from an ongoing clinical study.
Utah Retinal Reading Center
UREAD seeks to contribute to the characterization of manifestation and progression of ophthalmic diseases, focusing on evaluating treatment response to innovative therapeutic strategies.
Crandall Center for Glaucoma Innovation
The Alan S. Crandall Center for Glaucoma Innovation is leading the way to better diagnostics, safer and more effective therapies and surgical devices, a deeper understanding of glaucoma and its genetics, and expanded access to care worldwide.
Faculty Laboratories
Moran has more than 30 faculty researchers addressing a number of conditions including glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, Stargardt disease, optic neuritis, retinal stroke, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, Usher syndrome, and retinopathy of prematurity.
Angelucci Laboratory
Dr. Alessandra Angelucci's research focuses on identifying neuronal circuits that underlie functional properties of neurons in the visual cerebral cortex and, ultimately, visual perception.
Asare Laboratory
Dr. Afua Oteng Asare's research focuses on pediatric vision health; health services and systems research; health equity and disparities; cost effectiveness analysis; and implementation science.
Baehr Laboratory
Dr. Wolfgang Baehr's Laboratory explores the genes implicated in blinding retinal degenerations and the visual cycle using techniques from molecular biology, biochemistry, and neurobiology.
Bernstein Laboratory
Dr. Paul S. Bernstein’s laboratory explores the biochemistry and biophysics of nutritional interventions against inherited and acquired ocular disorders.
Davis Laboratory
The laboratory of Zachary W. Davis, PhD, is primarily interested in cortical mechanisms of visual perception and how these mechanisms are altered by damage or disease in the visual system.
Dubis Laboratory
Adam M. Dubis, PhD, focuses on explaining biological processes using data science and population health methods of large dataset acquisition, curation, and modeling.
Fleckenstein Laboratory
Dr. Monika Fleckenstein's primary research interest centers around degenerative retinal diseases, with a focus on age-related macular degeneration.
Hwang Laboratory
Eileen Hwang, MD, PhD, studies how the biochemistry and extracellular matrix structure of the vitreous changes throughout life from childhood through old age.
Jones Laboratory
Bryan W. Jones, PhD, is principal investigator of The Marclab for Connectomics: Retina, Connectomics and Disease, with a focus on retinal circuitry/connectomics and metabolomics in neural plasticity in retinal disease.
Krizaj Laboratory
The lab of David Krizaj, PhD, is focused on studies of ocular mechanotransduction, with emphasis on how intraocular pressure is generated and regulated, and why sensitivity to mechanical stress kills neurons in the retina.
McDonnell Laboratory
Dr. Fiona McDonnell's primary research area is the study of glaucoma, with a special focus in conventional outflow physiology.
Noudoost Laboratory
Dr. Behrad Noudoost’s lab research is focused precisely on understanding the neural circuits and biological mechanisms that are necessary and sufficient to drive fundamental cognitive functions.
Pitha Laboratory
Dr. Ian F. Pitha's research focuses on the role of scleral cells, or the white of the eye, in glaucoma, and improving care for glaucoma patients by designing more effective and safe therapeutics.
Roy Laboratory
Suva Roy,PhD, focuses on understanding the functions of retinal cell types in the context of natural vision and visual disorders.
Tian Laboratory
Dr. Ning Tian’s lab research aims to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate the development of the retinal synaptic pathways and the formation of the laminar structure, and how these mechanisms are modulated under normal and pathological conditions.
Vinberg Laboratory
The laboratory of Frans Vinberg, PhD, works to understand mechanisms in the retina that enable vision over a wide range of light intensities and colors, and how these mechanisms are affected in major blinding diseases including age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.
Yang Laboratory
Dr. Jun Yang’s laboratory research focuses on the disease mechanisms and therapeutic treatments, including gene therapies, for retinal degenerative diseases.
Zhu Laboratory
Dr. Weiquan Zhu's lab investigates the critical role of vascular dysfunction in the onset and progression of inflammatory diseases and aging, particularly within the central nervous system, including the retina.
Speaker Series and Seminars
The Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Distinguished Seminar Series and Vision Interest Group Seminars are held in the John A. Moran Eye Center Auditorium. For more information, contact Paula King at u6063943@utah.edu or 801-585-7020.
April 30, 2025
Grand Rounds Seminar: 8-9 a.m.
Research Seminar: Noon-1 p.m.
Hosted by David Krizaj, PhD
Presenter: Simon John, PhD, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
August 13, 2025
Research Seminar: Noon-1 p.m.
Hosted by Fiona McDonnell, PhD
Presenter: Adriana Di Polo, Université de Montréal
September 10, 2025
Grand Rounds Seminar: 8-9 a.m.
Research Seminar: Noon-1 p.m.
Hosted by Suva Roy, PhD
Presenter: Jose-Alain Sahel, University of Pittsburgh
Vision Interest Group Seminars
- April 17, 2025: Isabel Vanegas, PhD (Noudoost Laboratory)
- August 21, 2025: John Cheriyan, PhD (Krizaj Laboratory)
- September 18. 2025: Amin Vafaei, BSc (Angelucci Laboratory)
- October 16, 2025: Yingjia Wei, MS (Fleckenstein Laboratory-UREAD)
- November 20, 2025: Dylan Jensen (Davis Laboratory)
News from Moran Researchers
Study Shows Promise for Eye Surgery Robot Invention
Researchers at the University of Utah’s Moran Eye Center and College of Engineering have collaborated to create a new robotic surgery device that aims to give surgeons “superhuman” hands.
Glaucoma Q&A: Catching up with Dr. Ike Ahmed
Surgeon-scientist Iqbal Ike K. Ahmed, MD, FRCSC, directs the Alan S. Crandall Center for Glaucoma Innovation and is a globally recognized leader in the field.
Working to Make Human Eye Transplantation Possible
Moran scientist Frans Vinberg, PhD, is part of a project bringing together more than 40 scientists, doctors, and industry experts hand-picked from around the country.
Engineering the Future of Vision Research
Moran has added research faculty members who use advanced methods to explore promising areas of investigation.
IOL Innovations, Then and Now
Moran's Intermountain Ocular Research Center experts mark 75 years of intraocular lens advancements that have improved care for millions of cataract patients.
Analysis Supports Further Testing of Eye Drops Hoped to Reverse Cataracts
A new analysis of research conducted at the John A. Moran Eye Center supports further testing to determine if cataracts might someday be reversed with eye drops.
Meet the First Patient to Test Moran's AMD Gene Therapy in Utah
A Moran Eye Center age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patient recently became the first in Utah to test a new gene therapy developed by the Sharon Eccles Steele Center for Translational Medicine.
Artificial Vision Research Advances
The Moran|Cortivis Prosthesis, which uses the Utah Electrode Array, has now been tested in three individuals with blindness.
Read More About Our Research
Clinician-scientists at the John A. Moran Eye Center offer their latest studies and perspectives in this latest edition of Clinical Focus.
Contact Us
University of Utah School of Medicine
Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
John A. Moran Eye Center
65 Mario Capecchi Drive
Salt Lake City, UT 84132
Phone: 801-585-3723
Paul S. Bernstein, MD, PhD, Vice Chair of Research
Phone: 801-581-4069
paul.bernstein@hsc.utah.edu
Sydney Gee, Associate Director of Research
Phone: 801-581-3560
sydney.gee@hsc.utah.edu
Julee LaMothe, Research Dev. Sr. Manager
Phone: 801-585-3723
julee.lamothe@hsc.utah.edu
Barbara Korous, Director of Operations
Phone: 801-585-6143
barbara.korous@hsc.utah.edu