Overall Core Abstract The overall goal of this NEI Core Center Grant for Vision Research is to enhance the capabilities of vision research scientists by facilitating easy access to equipment, training, and technical support that will expand experimental capabilities, add rigor and reproducibility, result in more cost-effective and time-efficient research, and open up new research directions. This Center will serve vision science researchers across the UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) campus. It will also facilitate new research collaborations within the institution, regionally, and nationally. Our proposed NEI Core Center consists of three Resource/Service Modules, each directed by a faculty member with experience and expertise in their unit’s focus area: 1) Stem Cell, Organoid and Cell Phenotyping (Directed by Dr. Robertson), which will support the development of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and organoids relevant to the eye, and provide services for immunometabolic profiling; 2) Gene Editing and Virus Production (Directed by Dr. Park), which will generate DNA/RNA constructs for use in mammalian cultures and systems, and purify and concentrate both lentivirus and adeno-associated virus (AAV) for subsequent use in immortalized, primary cultures and in animals in vivo; and 3) Microscopy and Animal Phenotyping (Directed by Dr. Petroll and Dr. Wert), which will provide equipment, infrastructural support, expertise and technical assistance to enable quantitative imaging of cells and tissues, as well as structural and functional assessment of the visual system in vivo. In addition, the Administrative Module will develop and implement programs to promote and foster collaborative projects between UTSW scientists and other researchers across campus, within the region, and throughout the nation. The Specific Aims of the Core Center are to enhance, streamline, and add scientific rigor to the research activities of the participating vision scientists by: 1) Supporting the operation of the Resource/Service Modules by managing usage and operations, providing skilled technical assistance, equipment maintenance, and the purchase of supplies; 2) expanding the number of collaborative research projects between investigators both within UTSW and between UTSW and other institutions; 3) creating a rich environment for developing vision research programs of junior faculty members, and for new vision researchers recruited to the University; and 4) providing resources and training to assist graduate students, medical students, and fellows with their research. Overall, we anticipate that the Core Grant for Vision Research will impact the research programs of participating vision scientists by: 1) expanding their research into new areas through the addition of novel experimental techniques; 2) stimulating new collaborations with other potential Core Center users across campus, regionally, and nationally; 3) improving research rigor, productivity and efficie...