# Research Training Program in Vision Science

> **NIH NIH T32** · MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN · 2020 · $126,265

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
A mentor group of 11 senior, mid-level and young investigators, including 4 new investigators, each with
experience in research training and with active and competitive research programs, propose to continue a
Research Training Program in Vision Science at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) for another 5 years.
The request is for support for 5 pre-doctoral trainees annually. The goal remains to prepare trainees for
careers in ocular and vision research. This requires that students have a broad, multidisciplinary appreciation
of the major features of the visual system, a contemporary understanding of the diseases that impact vision,
and state-of-the-art research skills and technologies for experimental work in the visual system. It also requires
that trainees acquire the analytical and communication skills necessary to function in an increasingly
collaborative research environment. The mentor group provides experience in multiple facets of the visual
system, including fundamental photoreceptor biology, retinal circuitry and its development, and the molecular
mechanisms of a wide spectrum of ocular diseases. Our research is at the forefront of development and
application of impactful technology including CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, electron paramagnetic resonance
spectroscopy (EPR), non-invasive retinal imaging and ocular gene therapy. New features of the program in this
renewal application include the addition of an External Advisory Committee, expansion of opportunities for
interactions with the clinical enterprise and translational research emphasis, as well as an enhanced focus on
innovative technologies, made possible by recent recruitments that increase MCW’s capabilities in these
important areas. We are committed to training a diverse cadre of PhDs and our trainees are unquestionably
prepared to lead successful careers in science. Our past record includes 33 pre-doctoral trainees, from which 7
hold faculty positions (5 in vision research), 5 developed successful non-academic scientific careers, 12 are in
postdoctoral training and 8 are currently still in training. Pre-doctoral trainees will complete a core curriculum
including courses in molecular genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, and neurobiology as well as completion of
the required “Instructional Program in the Responsible Conduct of Research” and "The Biology of Vision" as a
prelude to conducting dissertation research under the mentorship of a member of the program faculty. All
students will have the opportunity at the time they enter a mentor laboratory to enroll in the Basic and
Translational Science program, which includes additional training in translational research as well as a
requirement for at least one Specific Aim of the dissertation to be translational in nature. All trainees in
mentor labs will also participate in a monthly Vision Science Forum, the Distinguished Lecture Series in Vision
Science, and the annual Vision Science Student Symposia.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9916773
- **Project number:** 5T32EY014537-17
- **Recipient organization:** MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN
- **Principal Investigator:** Elena V Semina
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $126,265
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2002-09-30 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9916773

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9916773, Research Training Program in Vision Science (5T32EY014537-17). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9916773. Licensed CC0.

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