>> GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.
WELCOME TO THIS -- THIS IS THE
171st MEETING OF THE NATIONAL
ADVISORY EYE INSTITUTE'S
COUNCIL.
I DON'T HAVE A GAVEL WITH ME I
DIDN'T HAVE A VIRTUAL ONE SO
IMAGINE ONE IN YOUR MINDS.
I'M MICHAEL CHIANG DIRECTOR OF
THE NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE AND
LOOKING FORWARD TO SPENDING THE
REST OF THE DAY WITH YOU HERE.
WE'VE ALWAYS DONE THIS IN PERSON
RECENTLY BUT WE MADE IT VIRTUAL
BECAUSE OF SO MANY THINGS
EVOLVING AND HAVE A SMALLER
GROUP OF SO MANY PENDING
APPROVAL SLATES.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO GIVING
THE UPDATE AND DISCUSSING
EVERYTHING WE'RE GOING TO
DISCUSS AND ALSO GOING TO BE
LOOKING FORWARD TO DOING THIS
BACK IN BETHESDA SOON.
I'D LIKE TO START WITH A ROLL
CALL OF THE PEOPLE MANAGING THE
COUNCIL.
I WANT TO START BY THANK IING
NATHAN BROWN FOR MAKING IT
VIRTUAL IN A SMALL AMOUNT OF
TIME AND THEN ANNA AND OTHERS.
I'M MICHAEL CHIANG, DIRECTOR OF
THE EYE INSTITUTE.
>> I'M DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE
NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE.
>> ANNA HAN ACTING DIRECTOR OF
EXTRAMURAL ACTIVITIES.
>> UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
RETINOPATHY.
>> I'M WITH THE OHIO STATE
UNIVERSITY IN REFRACTIVE
DEVELOPMENT.
>> THANK YOU TO EVERYONE.
ANNA, CAN WE TURN TO YOU TO GIVE
SOME AND TO THE REST OF GROUP,
WE'LL INTRODUCE A LITTLE BIT
MORE ABOUT ANNA WHEN I DO MY
REMARKS BUT TO ANNA FOR
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
>> THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE I'M
ANNA HAHN THE EXECUTIVE
SECRETARY AND OFFICIAL FOR THE
NATIONAL EYE COUNCIL.
I'M TEMPORARILY STEPPING IN FOR
KATHY ANDERSON WHO RETIRED IN
MAY AFTER A CAREER SPANNING
DECADES OF SERVICE.
HER LEADERSHIP AND COMMITMENT
HAVE LEFT A LARGE GAP VERY HARD
TO FILL AND WE'RE DEEPLY
GRATEFUL FOR HER MANY
CONTRIBUTIONS TO NAEC AND NIE
MEMBERS AND I WANT TO WELCOME
STAFF HERE INCLUDING OUR
COLLEAGUES FROM CENTER FOR
SCIENTIFIC REVIEW OEM AND
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WATCHING
VIRTUALLY SO WELCOME.
AS DR. CHIANG SAYS, I WANT TO
THANK NATHAN BROWN FOR THE
LOGISTICAL DETAILS FOR THE
MEETING.
HE WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND
ESPECIALLY TAKING ON EXTRA
RESPONSIBILITIES LEFT BY OUR
LOST STAFF.
AND EVERYTHING IS THANKS TO
NATHAN BROWN.
BEFORE WE GET STARTED FOR
MEETING ETIQUETTE AND BEST
PRACTICES.
PLEASE IDENTIFY YOURSELF WITH
YOUR FULL NAME EACH TIME YOU
SPEAK AS THERE PEOPLE IN THE
AUDIENCE VISUALLY IMPAIRED.
ON TEAMS PUT YOUR FULL NAME IN
THE WINDOW TO CAPTURE
PARTICIPANTS ACCURATELY FOR
OFFICIAL MEETING MINUTES AND IF
YOU'RE NOT A COUNCIL MEMBER OR
SPEAKING, PLEASE HAVE YOUR VIDEO
OFF SO WE CAN SAVE SOME
BANDWIDTH AND REMEMBER TO MUTE
YOURSELF UNLESS YOUR PRESENTING
OR SPEAKING.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS TURN
ON YOUR VIDEO SO WE CAN SEE YOU
AND USE YOUR RAISE HAND FUNCTION
AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND WE'LL
CALL ON YOU WHEN WE SEE YOUR
HAND RAISED DON'T USE THE CHAT
BOX IN TEAMS BECAUSE WE'RE USING
NIH VIDEOCAST AND THEY CANNOT
SEE COMMENTS.
THIS IS A PUBLIC MEETING SO ALL
COMMENTS NEED TO BE FULLY
ACCESSIBLE TO ALL PARTICIPANTS
AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
FOR FUTURE COUNCIL DATES ARE
LISTED ON OUR OPEN SESSION
AGENDA AND ON NEI'S WEBSITE.
OUR NEXT MEETING IS SCHEDULED
FOR FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2025.
WE HOPE TO HAVE THAT ONE IN
PERSON.
LET ME STOP AND ASK IF THERE'S
ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE WE GO ON.
WE NO LONGER REQUIRE APPROVAL OF
MEETING MINUTES AT THE MEETING
HOWEVER WE'LL CONTINUE TO MAKE
THEM AVAILABLE IN ELECTRIC
COUNCIL BOOK FOR YOUR REVIEW AND
EDITS AND COMMENTS.
WITH THAT I WILL TURN IT OVER TO
DR. CHIANG FOR HIS DIRECT'S
REPORT.
>> THANK YOU FOR THE
INTRODUCTION AND SAYING
EVERYTHING YOU DID.
I'LL SHARE MY SCREEN.
THIS IS ALWAYS A PRIVILEGE FOR
ME TO BE ABLE TO DO.
WE'RE GOING TO COVER A LOT OF
THINGS AND I'LL GO THROUGH IT AS
WE GET TO THE SLIDES.
SINCE WE MET LAST TIME IN
OCTOBER, 2024 THERE'S BEEN MANY
CHANGES AT NIH AND ONE IS NEW
LEADERSHIP.
MOST OF YOU ALREADY KNOW THIS,
JAY BHATTACHARYA STARTED AS THE
NEW NIH DIRECTOR IN APRIL 2025
AND THE 18th DIRECTOR AND CAME
FROM STANFORD WHERE HE HAD A
LONG CAREER AT THE INTERSECTION
MUCH MEDICINE, SCIENCE, HEALTH
POLICY AND SCIENCE.
HE WAS PROFESSOR OF HEALTH
POLICY AT STANFORD AND A SENIOR
FELLOW IN THE INSTITUTE OF
ECONOMIC POLICY RESEARCH AND
DIRECTED A CENTER ON DEMOGRAPHY
AND ECONOMICS OF HEALTH CARE
ENGAGING.
DR. BHATTACHARYA'S BEEN VERY
CLEAR ABOUT KEY SPECIFIC
PRIORITIES.
ONE IS CHRONIC DISEASE.
ONE IS INNOVATION AND HE'S MADE
A VERY CLEAR POINT ABOUT DOING
INNOVATIVE RESEARCH OPPOSED TO
WHAT ARE INCREMENTAL ADVANCES
AND REPRODUCIBILITY AND
REPLICABLE AND GENERALIZABLE AND
THESE ARE PRIORITIES WE'VE BEEN
THINKING ABOUT.
ONE POINT I WANT TO MAKE IS THAT
I AND MANY PEOPLE AT THE
NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE WERE
EXCITED TO HEAR ABOUT THE
PRIORITIES BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN
THINGS WE'VE BEEN EXTREMELY
INTERESTED IN AS WELL.
I'LL BE EXCITED TO TALK ABOUT
THAT.
THE OTHER PERSON IN LEADERSHIP
IS DR. MELOE THE ACTING DIRECTOR
AT NIH FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AND
NOW HAS BECOME THE PRINCIPLE
DEPUTY DIRECTOR.
HE'S BEEN HERE 20 YEARS AND WAS
THE OF THE CLINICAL STUDIES
UNIT.
THE LABORATORY OF INFECTIOUS
DISEASES.
HIS RESEARCH PROGRAM HAS BEEN
DOING CLINICAL IN RESEARCH IN
INFLUENZA AND OTHER RESPIRATORY
DISEASES.
HIS TEAM LOOKED AT
INVESTIGATIONAL VACCINES AND
TREATMENTS.
BEYOND THAT THERE'S A NEW
ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERSHIP WITHIN
NIH THAT IS ERIC SCHUNABLE AND
JAMES McILROY AND OTHERS AND
THEY'RE NEW TO NIH AND THEY'VE
BEEN GOOD TO WORK WITH.
A NEW LEADERSHIP TEAM HERE AT
THE NIH.
WITHIN THE NEI, I WANT TO TALK
WITH YOU ABOUT LEADERSHIP
TRANSITIONS.
NOW, ONE OF THEM IS WITHIN THE
DIVISION OF INTRAMURAL SCIENCE
PROGRAMS WE HAVE A NEW DIRECTOR.
MANY KNOW HER WELL AND SHE
STARTED IN THAT POSITION IN
NOVEMBER 2024.
SHE WAS ACTING BEFORE THAT AND I
WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT
DESP DOES, EXTRAMURAL SCIENCE
PROGRAMS IS THEY MANAGE ALL THE
PROGRAMS SO ALL THE PROGRAM
OFFICERS ARE WITHIN THE DESP.
IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW SHE'S A
Ph.D. IN REPRODUCTIVIVE AND
TRAINED IN INDIA AND DID A
POSTDOC AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
PENNSYLVANIA WHERE SHE FOCUSSED
ON MUCOSAL IMMUNOLOGY.
SHE WORKED IN CSR IN THE
DIVISION OF RESET AND REFERRAL
AND WHERE SHE BECAME ONE OF THE
ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERSHIP THERE
AND SHE'S BEEN HERE AT THE NIH
FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS WHERE SHE GOT
TO KNOW THE COMMUNITY AND NEI
VERY WELL AND WAS ACTING DEPUTY
FOR SEVERAL YEARS ACTUALLY.
WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE HER ON
BOARD AND I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT
OUT TO KATHY ANDERSON FOR DOING
DOUBLE DUTY.
CARRIE GETZ HAS MOVED TO
INDUSTRY AND WE MISS HER SHE'S
AT TOPGOM.
A
AND WE HAVE OTHERS WHO ED A
REDUCTION IN FORCE NOTICE AND SO
WE'RE MISSING SHEFA'S PRESENCE
AND MARIA ZACHARIAHS RETIRED IN
MAY AS DID KATHY ANDERSON AND
ANNA ALREADY SAID.
WE REALLY MISS MARIA AND KATHY
AND ANNA HAS DONE A GREAT JOB IN
FILLING IN AS THE DIRECTOR OF
EXTRAMURAL ACTIVITIES.
AND REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT ANNA
HAS BEEN DOING.
CLEARLY THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF
CHANGE AND ONE GOAL IS SOME
THINGS LIKE PROGRAM PLANNING AND
COMMUNICATIONS, THE INTENT IS TO
MOVE THOSE CENTRALLY WITHIN
BUILDING ONE AT NIH SO WE'LL
STILL HAVE THOSE SERVICES NOT
NECESSARILY THE SAME AS IN THE
PAST.
IT'S ALL IN EVOLUTION RIGHT NOW
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO UPDATING
YOU AS MORE THINGS HAPPEN BUT
WE'RE EVOLVING.
WE'VE EVOLVED A LOT BUT WE'RE
GETTING THROUGH.
THIS IS A SLIDE ON AWARD AND
RECOGNITION.
WE'VE ALWAYS DONE THIS AND I
LOVE THIS PART OF THE UPDATES.
BRIGHT FOCUS FOUNDATION THEY
GAVE IN AWARD FOR MACULAR
DEGENERATION AND RUCHI SHARMA
RECEIVED IT AND THE
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR STEM
CELL RESEARCH WENT TO KAPIL
BHARTI.
WITHIN THE EXTRAMURAL COMMUNITY
THERE'S A COUPLE THINGS I WANT
TO LET YOU KNOW ABOUT.
THE 2025 STOCKTON KIMBALL AWARD
THE HIGHEST AWARD AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF BUFF BUFF WAS
GIVEN TO STEVE FIESLER AND
STUDIED MANY THINGS AND ONE
THING HE'S BEST KNOWN FOR IS THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE RETINA
AND LIPID INTERMEDIATE PATHWAY
IN GLYCOPROTEIN SYNTHESIS AND
HE'S STUDIED THIS AND LOOKING AT
THE RELATIONSHIP THAT ARE LINKED
TO CHOLESTEROL PROCESSING AND
IT'S GONE TO THE POINT THERE MAY
BE THERAPIES HE'S SHOWN IN
ANIMAL MODELS.
THE COZZARELLI PRIZE BY PNAS
USED TO BE CALLED THE BEST PAPER
OF THE YEAR AWARD.
ONE OF THE THE PRIZES WENT TO
SEVERAL PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
FIN YANG, JANIS INOY AND
MICHELLE RUCCI FOR EYE BLINKS IN
THE VISUAL PROCESSING STAGE.
THE PREMISE OF THE PAPER IS IT'S
BEEN ASSUMED BLINKING SERVES TO
LUBRICATE THE EYES AND THE
ASSUMPTION IS IT DECREASES YOUR
VISION OR INTERRUPTS VISUAL
PROCESSING BUT THE GROUP USED
EYE TRACKING STUDY AND ALSO
VISUAL INPUT MODELLING TO LOOK
AT THE EFFECTS OF BLINKING ON
VISUAL PERCEPTION.
AND THEY ACTUALLY FOUND THE
PROCESS OF LINKING IMPROVES THE
CONTRAST OF A VISUAL STIMULUS,
FROM WHAT WE'D ALWAYS THOUGHT.
SO CONGRATULATIONS TO THAT
GROUP.
AND LASTLY ON THIS SLIDE, TWO
NEWLY ELECTED MEMBERS OF THE
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY AND THESE
ARE GOING TO BE WELL KNOWN TO
SOME OF YOU.
HEIDI HAMM AND GREG LEMKE.
SO CONGRATULATIONS.
NOW, WITH THIS I RECENTLY WE'VE
GOTTEN TO KNOW THE NEW NIH
LEADERSHIP, ONE OF THE THINGS WE
MENTIONED TO THEM IS WE ALWAYS
FOCUS ON MISSION.
WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT THIS SLIDE
I HOPE YOU KNOW OUR MISSION IS
TO ELIMINATE VISION LOSS AND
IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE THROUGH
VISION RESEARCH.
WE DRIVE INNOVATIVE RESEARCH AND
FOSTERING COLLABORATION AND
RECRUITING, INSPIRING AND
TRAINING TO STRENGTHEN THE
VISION WORKFORCE AND EDUCATING
PEOPLE ON WHAT WE DO AND WHY
IT'S IMPORTANT.
WHAT WE TALK ABOUT IS NOT GOING
TO BE EVERYTHING THAT WE DO IN
TERMS OF INNOVATIVE
METHODOLOGICAL WORK OF CHRONIC
DISEASE AND REPRODUCIBILITY AND
GET THE SENSE THE EYE COMMUNITY
IS BEHIND THIS IN DOING EXCITING
WORK.
SO, INNOVATION.
WE HAVE REALLY TRIED TO PUSH
THIS CONCEPT THAT THE EYE IS AN
AMAZING SITE FOR DOING WORK THAT
IS METHODOLOGICAL AND INNOVATIVE
TO OTHER FIELDS.
ONE IS OPHTHALMIC IMAGING, IT
GIVES HISTOLOGICAL GRADE VIEWS
OF THE RETINA.
YOU CAN SEE ALL THESE THINGS,
BLOOD VESSELS, NERVES, COUPLING,
BLOOD FLOW, STRUCTURE AND
FUNCTION WITHIN SECONDS NON
INVASIVELY.
THAT'S COMPLETELY REVOLUTIONIZED
THE PRACTICE OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
AND OPTOMETRY AND REVOLUTIONIZED
THE WAY WE DO RESEARCH.
YOU KNOW WE HAVE FOLKS IN OUR
COMMUNITY RECEIVING THE LASKAR
AWARD IN 2023 FOR THAT.
DAVID WONG AND OTHERS PICTURED
HERE.
AND THERE'LL OPTICS AND OTHERS
AND EXCITED ABOUT THIS AND HOW
IT'S REVOLUTIONIZED WHAT WE DO
AND WHAT OTHER GROUPS HAVE DONE.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
THE FIRST FDA APPROVED
AUTONOMOUS ALGORITHM OF ANY
FIELD IN MEDICINE WAS FOR
DIABETIC RETINOPATHY SCREENING
AND SOME OF THESE FINDINGS HAVE
FORMED THE BASIS FOR A LOT OF
THE A.I. REVOLUTION WE SEE NOW.
METHODOLOGICAL WORK, PRIVACY,
SECURITY AND THERE ARE MANY
THINGS IN THE FRONTIER NOW OKAY
OCCULOMICS AND REGENERATIVE
MEDICINE.
THE FIRST FDA APPROVED GENE
THERAPY IN ANY FIELD OF MEDICINE
WAS FOR THE GENE CLOEPD HERE
WITHIN THE INTRAMURAL RESEARCH
PROGRAM WITHIN MIKE'S LAB.
THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE PROUD OF.
SINCE THE APPROVAL OF ONE
THERAPY THERE'S BEEN SIX MORE
AND A REAL REVOLUTION.
WE'VE BECOME WIDE WITHIN THE NIH
WIDE AMP BESPOKE GENE THERAPY
PROJECT AN $81 MILLION PROJECT
STILL ONGOING LED BY OUR
COLLEAGUES AT NCATS.
OF THE EIGHT CLINICAL TRIALS
FUNDED THROUGH THIS, ONE THING I
WAS REALLY PROUD OF IS THAT
THREE OF THEM WERE FOR EYE
DISEASES.
IT JUST GIVES THE SENSE OF THE
FOOTPRINT WE GOT IN THIS AREA.
AND THE NIH WIDE REGENERATIVE
MEDICINE INNOVATION PROJECT THAT
WENT IN TO UNTIL ABOUT 2021,
FROM 2020 THROUGH THE 21st
CENTURIES CURED ACT AND OF THEM
FIVE WERE FOR EYE DECISE OF
DISEASES.
THERE'S SO MUCH NOW AND CELL
BASED THERAPIES.
NIH HAS BEEN VERY INTERESTED IN
HUMAN MODELS MOVING TOWARD
THINGS LIKE A.I., DIGITAL TWINS,
ORGANOIDS, ORGAN CHIPS.
A LOT OF GREAT WORK WITHIN OUR
COMMUNITY ABOUT THAT.
I'M EXCITED TO SEE MORE AND MORE
OF THAT.
WHAT I WILL DO IS GO THROUGH
SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF PROJECTS
THAT EXCITED ME AND OUR TEAM AND
SOME ARE EXTRAMURAL AND SOME
INTRAMURAL PROJECTS-ONE INVOLVES
METHODOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS IN
GENE EDITING AND PRECISION
MEDICINE.
SO THIS PARTICULAR SET OF WORK
WAS DONE IN COLLABORATION
BETWEEN U.C. IRVINE AND A
TRAINEE THERE AND OTHERS AT THE
BROAD INSTITUTE IN BOSTON AND
PRIME EDITING WAS FROM DAVID LU
AT HARVARD NOT LONG AGO WITHIN
THE PAST FIVE YEARS.
AND IT MAKES LONGER, MORE
DIVERSE TYPES OF DNA CHANGES AND
THERE'S POTENTIAL TREATMENTS FOR
DISEASES.
BY TARGETING THESE MUTATIONS BUT
THE CHALLENGE IS DELIVERING
THESE GENE EDITING MACHINERY HAS
BEEN CHALLENGING.
A VIRUS LIKE PARTICLE HERE ARE
ONE MECHANISM FOR DELIVERING
THAT.
BUT THE OUTCOMES IN ANIMAL
MODELS HAS BEEN MOD EVIDENT AND
THE CHALLENGE IS THAT YOU REALLY
NEED TO SPECIFICALLY ENGINEER
FOR EACH DIFFERENT TYPE OF
CAKINGO -- CARGO TO MAKE IT MOST
EFFICIENT.
THEY'VE RE-ENGINEERED THE VIRUS
LIKE PARTICLES TO GREATLY
IMPROVE GENE EFFICIENCY AND
VERSATILITY AND TESTED THIS IN
ANIMAL MODELS AND INHERITED
REGENERATIONS SUCH AS PIGMENTOSA
AND IT'S THE FIRST TIME THE
DELIVERY OF THE PROTEIN
COMPLEXES HAS ACHIEVED
THERAPEUTIC EDITING IN ANIMAL
MODELS.
THAT'S BEEN EXCITING.
AND DEMONSTRATED PRODUCTION IN
THIS MOUSE MODEL OF AUTOSOMAL
RECESSIVE FORMS OF PIGMENTOSA
AND EXCITE ABOUT THE EYE AS THE
TARGET FOR GENE EDITING AND
PRECISION MEDICINE.
MACKTELL AND EMILY WORKED IN
THIS AREA WITH COLLEAGUES AND
THEY HAVE RECEIVED AFDA APPROVAL
FOR NOVEL SURGICALLY-IMPLANTED
DEVICE ENCELTO AND SCRIPPS IN
SAN DIEGO SHOWED THE ROOT CAUSE
WAS NEURAL DE GENE RATION AND
DEATH OF PHOTO RECEPTORS AND IS
THE SUPPORTING GLIAL CELLS AND
THEY WORKED TOGETHER FOR
DECADES, THE SCRIPPS RESEARCH
AND INSTITUTE AND A LARGE
CONSORTIUM OF PHARMACEUTICALS
AND DEVELOPED A MODEL OF
DELIVERING THIS DIRECTLY TO THE
RETINA AND CONDUCTED A
RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL.
IT LED TO THE FIRST TIME A
CELL-BASED THERAPY HAS DELIVERED
A NEUROPROTECTANT TO TREAT A
NEUROGENERATIVE DISEASE.
AND SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT WHERE
THIS LEADS SO CONGRATULATIONS TO
EMILY AS WELL AS MARTE AND THE
MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE
GROUP.
THIS WAS A NEED PROJECT THAT GOT
A LOT OF PRESS.
SO A GROUP AT BERKELEY, JAMES
FONG AND HANNAH AND CONGLI AND
AUSTIN AND REN, THE ISSUE HERE
IS THAT THE CONES IN THE EYE
THERE'S THE S CONES AND M CONES
AND L CONES ARE SENSITIVE TO
DIFFERENT LIGHT AND M CONES ARE
MEDIUM AND THE L CONES ARE THE
LONG REDDISH WAVE LENGTHS BUT
THE PROBLEM -- THE ISSUE IS THAT
T
THE M SPECTRUM AND L OVERLAP
SIGNIFICANTLY.
SO THAT MEANS A LOT OF THE LIGHT
THAT ACTIVATES THE MEDIUM WAVE
LENGTH CONES ALSO ACTIVATE THE
LONG WAVE LENGTH CONES AND MY
UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THERE'S NO
WAVE LENGTH OF LIGHT THAT ONLY
STIMULATE THE M CONES.
SO WHAT THIS GROUP BECAME
INTERESTED IN IS CAN THEY
DEVELOP A LASER SYSTEM TO
PROGRAMMABLY CONTROL AND
STIMULATE PHOTO RECEPTORS AT A
POPULATION SCALE.
BY DOING THIS WHERE THEY IN THE
GROUP IT WAS THIS GROUP AND THEY
ALSO HAD A COLLABORATION WITH A
GROUP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
WASHINGTON TO MAP OUT THE
RETINA.
BUT TO DO THIS BY STIMULATING
DIFFERENT CONES IN THE RETINA
USING THIS PROTOTYPE LASER
SYSTEM, THEY COULD BASICALLY
SHOW PEOPLE -- NOVEL COLORS
THROUGH THE CONE STIMULATION AND
THE WAY THIS WAS PRESENTED TO
THE PRESS RELEASE -- SORRY --
THIS IS SO SENSITIVE.
FIVE PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO SEE A
NEW COLOR NO HUMAN HAD EVER SEEN
BEFORE.
AND IS THE PREMISE IS THEY
REBUILT THE COLOR SYSTEM FROM
THE GROUND UP USING THIS LASER
COMPUTER SYSTEM.
ONE OF THE IMPLICATIONS -- THIS
MAY GIVE US NEW METHODS FOR
STUDYING VISUAL PERCEPTION TO
UNDERSTAND VISUAL CHANGES FROM
RETINAL DEGENERATIONS INVOLVING
PHOTO RECEPTORS IN THE EYE AND
HELPING WITH COLOR-BLINDNESS AND
STUDY HOW THE BRAIN MAKE SENSE
OF VISION PROCESSING.
SO REALLY FASCINATING PROJECT.
THE MICRONS PROJECT WAS FUNDED
BY ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS
ACTIVITY.
AND THIS BASICALLY -- THIS WAS
AN ENORMOUS CONSORTIUM AND WE
WERE EXCITED ABOUT THIS AND
PARTICULARLY EXCITE WHAT'D THEY
STUDIED WAS THE VISUAL
PROCESSING SYSTEM IN THE MOUSE.
WHAT THIS PROJECT GIVES US IS
BASICALLY AN UNPRECEDENTED DATA
SET OF HIGH RESOLUTION
ANATOMICAL RESOLUTION OF CELLS
IN THE MOUSE VISUAL CORTEX
MAPPED ON TO THEIR RESPONSES.
SO IT'S BASICALLY 200,000 CELLS
AND 520 MILLION CONNECTIONS.
WHAT THIS REALLY DOES IS HELPS
GIVE A FOUNDATION FOR
UNDERSTANDING ON A COMPUTATIONAL
BASIS OF CIRCUITRY IN THE VISUAL
INFORMATION SYSTEM AND THEREFORE
IN THE NEURAL INFORMATION
PROCESSING SYSTEM.
THIS WAS COVERED BY REALLY BIG
AND INTERESTING NEW YORK TIMES
ARTICLE IF YOU'RE INTERESTED.
WHAT WE BASICALLY TAKE FROM THIS
IS OF COURSE THAT BY
UNDERSTANDING NORMAL BRAIN
CONNECTIVITY AND FUNCTION IT
WILL LET US MAKE COMPARISONS TO
UNDERSTAND DISRUPTIONS IN
CHRONIC DISEASE AND OTHER
NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND ONE
DAY HELP IT GUIDE US TOWARDS
DEVELOPING NEW THERAPEUTICS AND
DIAGNOSTICS THAT TARGET SPECIFIC
NEURAL CONNECTIONS.
SO WE WERE REALLY EXCITED BY
THIS AND MARTHA FLANDERS AND
SHERRI WIGS SHEPHERDED THIS FROM
THE NEI PERSPECTIVE SO
CONGRATULATION TO THAT ENTIRE
GROUP.
ONE OF THE THING I WANTED TO
HIGHLIGHT HERE IS TO SHOW THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INNOVATION
AND CHRONIC DISEASE AND WOE HAD
A SPEAKER A YEAR AGO AND I
WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THE WORK
AGAIN BECAUSE IT'S SO LINED UP
WITH THE CONCEPTS HERE THAT ARE
PRIORITIES OF JAY'S.
VINIT WORKED WITH A LONG TIME
COLLEGIATE THE UNIVERSITY OF
IOWA, ZAPPED ZAPPEDER BASSUK ANE
CELL ANALYSIS IN HUMANS IS
ESSENTIAL FOR UNDERSTANDING
MECHANISM OF DISEASE BUT IT'S
HARD TO DO IN TISSUES AND ORGANS
THAT DON'T REGENERATE LIKE THE
BRAIN AND RETINA AND CAN'T
EASILY BIOPSY THEM.
THEY TAKE A LIQUID BIOPSY
APPROACH AND DID PROTEOMICS AND
SINGLE CELL TRANSCRIPTOMICS OF
THE KNOWN OCULAR CELL TYPES AND
DID MULTI-OMIC AND A.I. ANALYSIS
AND CAN LOOK AT IMMUNE AND
VASCULAR CELL TYPES AND NEURONS
AND LIVING PEOPLE AND BASICALLY
STUDY CELL MECHANISMS AT CELL
LEVEL RESOLUTION.
AND THEY FOUND A LOT OF
INTERESTING THINGS BY DOING THIS
ANALYSIS.
BASICALLY STUDIED 6,000 PROTEINS
AND FOUND 26 OF THEM PREDICTED
BIOLOGICAL AGE.
AND THE WAY VINIT SPOKE ABOUT
THIS IS BUILDING A.I. MODEL TO
PREDICT YOUR AGE BASED ON YOUR
PROTEOMIC PROFILE.
FOR PEOPLE WITH CERTAIN
DISEASES, RETINOPATHY AND OTHERS
AND WITH THOSE DISEASE THE
PROTEOMIC AGE AS PREDICTED BY
THE MODELS WAS OLD EVEN THOUGH
YOUR CHRONOLOGICAL AGE WAS
YOUNG.
WHEN YOU TREAT IT WITH STANDARD
THERAPIES, THE AGE MODEL STILL
SHOWED YOUR PROTEOMIC AGE WAS
OLD THOUGH YOUR SYMPTOMS HAD
IMPROVED.
I THINK THAT HAS A LOT OF REALLY
FASCINATING IMPLICATIONS THAT'S
INTERSECTION OF MULT OMICS,
CHRONIC DISEASE, INNOVATION.
MAYBE BETTER BIOMARKERS TO
INFORM CLINICAL TRIALS AND
THERAPIES TO GET ROOT CAUSES AND
REALLY EXCITING.
OF COURSE IT'S NOT JUST THIS
WORK BUT A LOT OF GREAT WORK
GOING ON IN THE VISION COMMUNITY
ALONG THESE LINES.
I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THIS WORK
AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU
KNOW ABOUT IT.
S
WE BECAME INTERESTED IN NEURO
PLASTICITY AND THE STRATEGIC
PLAN WAS ISSUED AND CONDUCTED A
WORKSHOP LED BY THE CREW AT THE
BOTTOM ABOUT A YEAR AGO.
THE GOAL WAS TO IDENTIFY
COST-CUTTING PRINCIPLES IN THE
FIELD OF VISUAL AND NEURAL
PLASTICITY.
AND WE SPECIFICALLY WANTED TO
FOCUS ON MECHANISMS OF NEURO
PLASTICITY AT THE LEVEL OF CELL
AND BRAIN STRUCTURE AND AND WHY
ARE WE INTERESTED IN THIS?
WE MAY BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF NEURAL PLASTICITY TO IMPROVE
VISION IN DISEASE S DISEASES SO
THAT CAME OUT WERE THE EI
BALANCE THAT WAS DRIVING NEURAL
PLASTICITY.
THE SENSORY DEPRIVATION CAN
PERTURB THE EI BALANCE AND
VARIOUS HOMEOSTATIC PROCESSES
WORK TO MAINTAIN FUNCTION AND
DECLINE WITH AGE.
WE SAW SOME OPPORTUNITIES TO
LEVERAGE THIS BASICALLY FOR ALL
THE GOALS AND HAS BEEN WORKING
THROUGH THIS AND THEY HAVE GREAT
IDEAS ABOUT THIS.
I WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU KNOW
NEUROPLASTICITY IS ONE THING
WE'RE INTERESTED IN WE HAD A
WORKSHOP A YEAR AND A HALF AGO
ABOUT EXTRA CELLULAR VESICLES.
AND THE WORKSHOP REPORT WAS
PUBLISHED AND THERE WAS A NICE
JOB AND THEY STUCK WITH IT TO
GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE ARE
RIGHT NOW.
AND THE WORKSHOP IDENTIFIED
NEEDS, GAPS AND RESEARCH AND IT
INCLUDED CHARACTERIZING -- THE
NEED TO CHARACTERIZE EXTRA
CELLULAR VESICLES WITH DISCOVERY
AND PREDICTING EYE DISEASE.
THE NEED TO IDENTIFY ENDOGENOUS
CARGO IN THE EYE THAT OCCUR IN
RESPONSE TO DISEASE OR INJURY
AND VESICLES.
AND THERE'S SMALL SCALE ANATOMY
AND IMMUNE PRIVILEGE AND
ACCESSIBILITY TO ITS OWN BIO
FLUID AND THE FEASIBILITY FOR
LOCAL DRUG DELIVERY.
THERE'S BEEN NICE WORK IN THAT
AREA.
THERE'S BEEN GAPS IN RESEARCH
FROM 2010 TO 2023 THERE'S OVER
ALL BEEN A SIGNIFICANT IN THE
CLINICAL TRIALS INVOLVING EXTRA
CELLULAR VESICLES AND THERE'S
ONLY BEEN NINE CLINICAL TRIALS,
AMB, ALLERGIC CONJUNCTIVITIS AND
MAYBE THERE'S AREAS FOR GROWTH
AND TRADITIONALLY CHINA AND THE
U.S. HAVE LED AND THE GROWTH HAS
SLOANE DOWN A LITTLE BIT.
WE'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT WHERE
THIS COULD LEAD BUT I WANT TO
MAKE SURE YOU ALL KNOW THIS HAS
BEEN ON OUR MINDS FOR THE PAST
YEAR, YEAR AND A HALF.
SO THANK YOU TO ASHLEY AND TO
HANG FOR DOING SO MUCH WORK IN
THIS AREA.
BRIDGE TO A.I. I THINK IS A
UNIQUE PROJECT AT THE
INTERSECTION OF INNOVATION AND
CHRONIC DISEASE.
SO THIS IS A COMMON FUND PROJECT
AS A REFRESHER THAT'S $130
BILLION OVER FOUR YEARS FOR
STAGE 1.
STAGE 1 IS COMING TO AN END
RIGHT NOW.
THERE'S FIVE I.C.s LEAVING THIS.
WE'RE ONE OF THEM AND HERE ARE
THE OTHER FOUR INSTITUTES.
WE SAID BEFORE WE HAVE THIS
MANTRA EVERYBODY KNOWS,
HYPOTHESIS DRIVEN RESEARCH AT
NIH.
THIS IS A DATA SET FOR
GENERATING NEW KNOWLEDGE.
A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT
PARADIGM, ACTUALLY A LOT OF A
DIFFERENT PARADIGM FOR NIH.
I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO
JAMES GAO WHO HAS DONE A TON OF
WORK IN THIS AREA.
THE GOAL WAS TO RECRUIT VARIOUS
STAGES OF TYPE II DIABETES AND
THEY'RE COLLECTING EVERY TYPE OF
DATA FROM THE COHORT.
ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD DATA
AND ECG DATA AND OCULAR IMAGING,
OCT IMAGERY AND THE GOAL IS IT
WOULD GIVE US A DATA SET TO
HARNESS THE POWER OF A.I. TO
UNDERSTAND CHRONIC DISEASE
PROGRESSION.
HOW YOU GO FROM BETTER TO WORSE.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY AND
PROBABLY MORE INTERESTINGLY, HOW
DO YOU GO FROM WORSE TO BETTER?
THE TERM IS DISEASE RECOVERY.
THE FIRST PART WAS RELEASED IN
THE PAST MONTHS.
IF YOU GO TO THE WEBSITE IS HOW
YOU GET ACCESS TO IT.
THE SUBSET OF THIS OVER ALL DATA
SET IN PROGRESS IS OVER 1,000
PEOPLE AND 2 IT TERABYTES OF
DATA AND EXCITED ABOUT THAT AND
ONE THING I WANT TO MAKE SURE
YOU KNOW ABOUT IS THERE'S BEEN
DISCUSSING A LOT AND JAMES HAS
DONE A LOT OF WORK IN THIS WITH
PLANNING FOR STAGE 2 OF BRIDGE
TO A.I.
IS IT GOING TO OCCUR, YES, NO
AND WHAT WILL IT LOOK LIKE IF WE
END UP PROPOSING THAT.
STAY TUNED BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN
THINKING ABOUT THOSE ISSUES A
LOT.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THEM FOR
DOING THIS AND THANK YOU TO
JAMES FOR DOING ALL THIS WORK.
I WANT TO TALK WITH ONE PROJECT
IN THE PIPELINE ALONG THE LINE
OF A.I. AND A NEW EMERGING
CONFIDENT PROGRAM CALLED PRIMED
A.I.
THE PREMISE OF PRIMED A.I. IS
IMAGING AND MULTI-MODAL A.I. FOR
PRECISION MEDICINE.
SO THIS WAS A PROJECT SANGEETA
PROPOSED AND IT GOT SELECTED TO
POTENTIALLY BUILD OUT FOR
APPROVAL AND THERE'S A TEAM
WORKING ON THIS.
NIBIB, NIAID IT'S NEI AND ODSS,
OFFICE OF DATA STRATEGY AND US
AT THE NEI.
THE PROJECT WAS APPROVED BY THE
NIH COUNCIL OF COUNCILS TWO
MONTHS AGO AND BRUCE TROMBERG
AND I GAVE THE PRESENTATION TO
THE COC AND THE PROPOSAL IS IT
WILL BE A $121 BILLION PROJECT
OVER FIVE YEARS AND CURRENTLY
UNDER DEVELOPMENT.
JAMES AND SANGEETA HAVE DONE A
LOT OF WORK AND SANGEETA HELPED
CONCEPTUALIZE THIS AND THE
NOFOS -- THERE ARE NOTICES OF
INTENT TO PUBLIC OUT THERE AS OF
ABOUT A WEEK AGO.
IT LOOKS AT DEVELOPING SYSTEMS
AND THE SECOND IS ALGORITHM OF
TOOLS TO MANAGE, DIAGNOSIS AND
PREDICT AT THE ONSET OF DISEASE.
THE THIRD IS CLINICAL
IMPLEMENTATION HOW DO YOU GET
THE TOOLS OUT IN THE REAL WORLD
FROM PRECISION MEDICINE
APPROACHES AND HOW CAN WE BUILD
SUPPORT TOOLS THAT MIGHT BE
INTEGRATED INTO ELECTRONIC
HEALTH RECORD SYSTEMS AND THE
LAST IS BUILDING TRUST AND
COORDINATION AMONG DIFFERENT
GROUPS AND DEVELOPING BEST
PRACTICES AND ENSURING
TRANSPARENCY.
BIG PROJECT.
A LOT OF EXCITEMENT ABOUT THE
INTERSECTION OF INNOVATION AND
CHRONIC DISEASE HERE.
WE'VE BEEN EXCITED TO BE ONE OF
THE GROUPS THAT'S HELPING LEAD
THIS.
SO STAY TUNED FOR THIS PRIMED
A.I. BECAUSE I THINK THE VISION
RESEARCH COMMUNITY HAS DONE A
LOT OF NICE WORK IN THIS AREA
AND I HOPE PEOPLE WILL BECOME
INTERESTED IN THIS INITIATIVE.
SOME BEAUTIFUL WORK INVOLVING
CHRONIC DISEASE AND MYOPIA.
WE TALKED ABOUT THE NASEM
REPORT.
I WON'T REHASH THAT BUT TO SAY
THIS IS EMERGING.
IT'S A HUGE PROBLEM RIGHT NOW
AND EVERY INDICATION SUGGESTS
IT'S GETTING WORSE IN THE
U.S. AND WORLDWIDE.
YOU ALL KNOW MEMBERS AND OVER
150 MILLION AMERICANS WHO HAVE
MEI -- MYOPIA RIGHT NOW AND THE
PREDICTION IS BE MORE WORLDWIDE
AND ALMOST 1 BILLION SO SOME
WITH HIGH MYOPIA WORLDWIDE.
WHY DOES THAT MATTER?
WELL, A LOT OF DIFFERENT
REASONS.
DECREASED VISION, LOT OF
PRODUCTIVITY.
THE ISSUE IN TERM OF HIGH MYOPIA
IS ALL THE DOWN STREAM
COMPLICATIONS.
VISION LOSS OR BLINDNESS FROM
GLAUCOMA AND MACULAR
DEGENERATION AND RETINAL
DETACHMENTS.
THE BLINK 2 STUD IT -- STUDY WAS
PUBLISHED RECENTLY LED BY DAVID
BERNSTEIN AND JEFF WALLENE AND
OUR FRIEND DIAMUTI IN HOUSTON
AND OHIO STATE.
THEY LOOKED AT PEOPLE WITH
CONTACT LENSES IN MYOPIA AND
SHOWED IT COULD SLOW AXIAL EYE
GROWTH AMONG OLDER TEENS WITHOUT
CLEAR REBOUND OR WITH THE
CONTACT LENS.
THERE'S MANY THINGS ABOUT MYOPIA
WE'VE GOTTEN EXCITED ABOUT AND
ARE HOPEFUL FOR.
SO STAY TUNED ABOUT THAT.
THERE'S BEEN NICE WORK IN
UVEITIS AND WE CAN'T LIST
EVERYBODY WHOSE BEEN INVOLVED
WITH THIS BUT I ESPECIALLY
WANTED TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO
THESE THREE.
THE ADJUST STUDY AND STOPPING
JIA, JUVENILE, ARTHRITIC UVEITIS
AND IT CAN BE VERY AGGRESSIVE.
THIS WAS THE FIRST RANDOMIZED
CONTROL TRIAL TO PROVIDE AXIAL
INFORMATION FOR WHEN YOU STOP
THIS ABOUT STOPPING THE DRUG IN
KIDS WITH GIA ASSOCIATED
UVEITIS.
WHAT THE GROUP SHOWED IS YOU CAN
PREVENT VISION LOSS IF YOU STOP
A DRUG BY CLOSE MONITORING AND
RESUMING THE DRUG IF THERE'S
REOCCURRENCE.
SO THAT'S GOING TO HAVE
SIGNIFICANT IMPLICATIONS AS A
PEDIATRIC OPHTHALMOLOGIST AND
THE MERIT STUDY, MACULAR
RANIBIZUMAB AND
INTRAVITREAL-ANTI-INFLAMMATORY
THERAPY.
IT'S A PROBLEM FOR MANY AT RISK
FOR THIS.
AND ONE OF THE PROMISING
THERAPIES HAS BEEN STEROID
IMPLAN
IMPLANTS IT FOUND THE TWO
OPTIONS ARE INTRAVITREAL
TREATMENT AND THEY THIS UNDER
SCORE THE IMPORTANCE OF
CONSIDERING THE DEXAMETHAZONE AS
A PRIMARY TREATMENT OPTION.
THESE ARE TWO CLINICAL TRIALS
FOR THESE REAL WORLD THERAPIES
IN THESE CLINICS.
CONGRATULATIONS FOR THE GROUPS
FOR DOING WORK IN MYOPIA AND
UVEITIS.
CEREBRAL VISUAL IMPAIRMENT.
I WANT TO GIVE AN UPDATE ON
THAT.
THIS IS A CHRONIC DISEASE THAT
HAS BECOME THE LEADING CAUSE OF
CHILDHOOD VISUAL IMPAIRMENT IN
THE U.S.
AND MANY OF YOU KNOW THE
CAUSES/ASSOCIATIONS ARE
PREMATURITY, PERINATAL BRAIN
DAMAGE AND OXYGEN DEPRIVATION
AND THESE CHILDREN WILL HAVE
VISUAL ACUTITY AND FIELD
DEFICITS BUT A HALLMARK IS THE
HIGHER ORDER VISUAL DEFICITS.
THEY MAY BE ABLE TO SEE EYE
CHARTS REASONABLY WELL SOMETIMES
BUT IN CROWDED ROOMS CAN'T
ALWAYS TELL THE SIGNAL FROM THE
NOISE AND LOOK AT ATTENTION AND
RECOGNITION.
AND ONE OF THE MAIN -- WE
LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THIS DURING
OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS
FOR FOUR YEARS AGO.
WE'VE BEEN INTERESTED IN THIS
SINCE THAT TIME.
THERE'S BEEN MAJOR GAPS IN
KNOWLEDGE AND WHAT'S THE NEURAL
BASIS OF THE CONDITION AND HOW'S
IT DIFFER FROM TRAUMATIC BRAIN
INJURY AND STROKE AND HOW DO WE
DEVELOP DIAGNOSIS FOR
CLASSIFICATION AND WHAT ARE BEST
PRACTICE FOR MANAGEMENT.
HOW DO WE BEST UNDERSTAND
REHABILITATION NEEDS FOR THE
BRAIN-BASED IMPAIRMENTS FOR CBI
AS FOR EYE BASED VISUAL
IMPAIRMENTS WE MORE OFTEN SEE.
AS A RESULT OF ALL THIS WE HAVE
PUT TOGETHER IN
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY WORKING GROUP
THAT INVOLVES OF COURSE US
TOGETHER WITH NICHD, CHILD
HEALTH, WITH NINDS NEUROLOGICAL
DISEASE AND STROKE.
IT'S BEEN GOING ON TWO YEARS
NOW.
MELINDA CHANG AND SHE'S AT USC
CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL LOS ANGELES
AND LOFTI IS AT HARVARD AND
THEY'VE DONE A GREAT JOB
MANAGING THIS GROUP AND THERE'S
BEEN WORK IN THIS AREA HELPING
TO LEAD THAT AS WELL.
I'M REALLY PROUD WE WERE ABLE TO
ADDRESS WHAT IS A SIGNIFICANT
CHRONIC DISEASE IN CHILDREN IN
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY WAY TOGETHER
WITH NICHD AND NINDS.
I WISH WE COULD SHOW EVERY
PROGRAM OFFICER INVOLVED FROM
THESE INSTITUTES ON THE SLIDE
BUT WE JUST RAN OUT OF ROOM.
SO WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS WITHIN
OPHTHALMOLOGY, MEANING THE
JOURNAL, WE PUBLISHED A WORKING
DEFINITION OF CBI.
WE MEANS MELINDA AND LOFTI AND
THE CBI WORKING GROUP IN
DECEMBER 2024.
THAT WAS ACCOMPANIED BY AN
EDITORIAL THAT WAS REALLY
DRAFTED BY SHEFFI AND ALICIA AND
ANY NAME WAS IN THERE AS WELL AS
AND VIRTUALLY THE SAME DAY
WITHIN THE PEDIATRICS LITERATURE
IN THE JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS THE
OFFICIAL AMERICAN PEDIATRICS OF
JOURNAL WAS ONE PUBLISHED A
PAPER AND LINDA CHANG WAS A LEAD
ON THAT THAT EMPHASIZED THE
IMPORTANCE FOR PEDIATRICIANS TO
SCREEN.
THAT WAS -- THERE'S ALSO AN
ACCOMPANYING NICHD EDITORIAL AND
WITHIN THE ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY,
WALTER KOROSHETZ AND HIS GROUP
PUBLISHED AN EDITORIAL ABOUT
THIS.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO HIGHLIGHT
WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER ON THIS
AS EVIDENCED WE BRINGING THE
PUBLICATIONS OF DIFFERENT
COMMUNITIES TOGETHER TO POINT IN
THE SAME THING.
AND I'M EXCITED TO HIGHLIGHT THE
SYNERGIES.
AND LASTLY TO SAY WE'RE HOST IN
AND PLANNING A REGISTRY BY THE
NEI AND EXCITED ABOUT A LOT OF
ACTIVITY AND MELINDA AND LOFTI
HAVE DONE EXCITING WORK.
LET ME TALK ABOUT
REPRODUCIBILITY.
THERE ARE ONE ASPECTS AND ONE
THING HIGHLIGHTED BY JAY
BHATTACHARYA IS IT'S BEEN
PUBLISHED AND A PAPER GOT
PUBLICITY SHOWING THE VAST
MAJORITY OF DATA ARE WRONG AND
THAT WAS THE PREMISE OF THAT
PAPER AND LET ME TALK ABOUT THE
THINGS WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT
RELATE TO REPRODUCIBILITY.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S FASCINATED
ME FOR QUITE A WHILE.
I LOVE THIS AND INCENTIVIZING
DATA SHARING.
WE HAVE THIS SITUATION ALL THE
TIME.
THERE ARE MULTIPLE SMALL STUDIES
GOING ON IN PARALLEL AROUND THE
COUNTRY ESSENTIALLY TRYING TO
ANSWER THE SAME QUESTION YET
UNDER POWERED TO FIELD THE
QUESTIONS AND MORE THE FIELD
FORWARD.
HOW DO WE DO THE JOB?
ONE IS WE GET EVERYONE TO SHARE
THEIR DATA AMONG THE MULTIPLE
SMALL STUDIES AND OF COURSE TWO
YEARS AGO THERE WAS AN NIH DATA
SHARING REQUIREMENT AND IN THE
WORLD OF CARROTS AND STICKS,
THAT REQUIREMENT IS A STICK.
IF YOU DON'T COME UP WITH A PLAN
TO SHARE YOUR DATA, WE WON'T
FUND YOUR RESEARCH.
THIS COUNCIL KNOWS WELL WE HEARD
EVERY SINGLE COMPLAINT AND
CONCERN ABOUT THE POLICY.
PEOPLE ARE SHARING DATA AS THE
CHECK THE BOX EXERCISE AND I
DON'T WANT TO GET THE WORSE OF
BOTH WORLDS WHERE PEOPLE ARE
SHARING DATA THAT'S REALLY NOT
THAT USEFUL FOR POTENTIALLY
OBFUSCATED SO MY COMPETITOR
DOESN'T SEE MY DATA I'VE SPENT
SO LONG ON AND SCOOP ME ON THE
PAPER.
I FEEL LIKE MANY KNOW IS MY
OPINION IS A LOT OF THAT BOILS
DOWN TO THE ACADEMIC INCENTIVE
CULTURE THAT WE HAVE.
WHICH IS THAT PEOPLE ARE
INCENTIVIZED FOR BEING FIRST AND
LAST AUTHOR ON PAPERS AND GRANT
APPLICATIONS AND THOSE METRICS
PROMOTE PROMOTION AND TENURE.
AND I HOPE PEOPLE WILL WANT TO
DO THAT AND TRY TO PUSH THAT
ALONG, WE HAVE BEEN WORK ON AND
IN FACT HELPING TO LEAD AN NIH
DATA SHARING CHALLENGE WE'VE
INFORMALLY BEEN CALLING S INDEX
CHALLENGE.
THIS IS A ROBUST METRIC THAT
REWARDS PEOPLE TO SHARE DATA SO
THE MORE YOU SHARE THE HIGHER
YOUR INDEX WILL GO AND WHO WILL
DEVELOP A GOOD METRIC FOR DOING
THIS?
I'M REALLY EXCITED WE AT NEI ARE
LEADING THIS AND THERE ARE
PARTNERS FROM ALL THESE
DIFFERENT I.C.s.
SO I'M REALLY EXCITED SO MANY
OTHER GROUPS ARE INTERESTED IN
THIS AND WORKING TOGETHER ON
THIS.
AROUND THE DEADLINE FOR
SUBMITTING OCCURRED A FEW WEEKS
AGO AND I WAS EXCITED AMBER
RECENTLY TOLD ME WE HAD 44 FULL
SUBMISSIONS AND THERE WERE 92
GROUPS THAT ORIGINALLY
REGISTERED TO SUBMIT AMONG THEM
44 DID SUBMIT SOMETHING.
SO STAY TUNED FOR THIS.
THIS IS GOING TO BE REALLY
EXCITING.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANT TO
MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNOW IS THAT
JAY BHATTACHARYA PUBLISHED A
PAPER BACK IN 2020 IN THE NBR,
WITHIN THE NBER, NATIONAL BUREAU
OF ECONOMICS RESEARCH THAT
BASICALLY TALKED ABOUT ON THIS
AXIS IS TOTAL SCIENTIFIC EFFORT
AND IDEA AND ON THE Y AXIS IS
THE SCIENTIFIC IMPACT.
SO THE POINT HERE THAT JAY IS
TALKING ABOUT IS THAT THIS IS
VERY EARLY CURIOSITY DRIVEN
EXPLORATORY RESEARCH.
NOT A LOT OF CLEAR IMPACT.
BUT OCCASIONALLY SOMETHING
CATCHES ON AND BECOMES A
BREAKTHROUGH, THINK CRISPR.
SOMETHING REALLY TAKES OFF.
AND OVER HERE IS WORK THAT IS
REFINING THAT IDEA.
SO WHAT JAY CALLS INCREMENTAL
ADVANCES.
BUT THE PREMISE OF THE ARTICLE
IS DOING INCREMENTAL WORK IN
THINGS THAT ARE POST
BREAKTHROUGH IS WHERE PEOPLE
FEEL TO DO THIS BECAUSE IT'S
POPULAR.
WHEREAS THIS WORK DOWN HERE
ISN'T REALLY REWARDED THE SAME
WAY.
ONE OF THE PREMISES OF THIS
PAPER FROM JAY WAS HOW DO WE
DEVELOPED METHODS FOR THE WORK
AND THIS EXPLORATORY RESEARCH
AND THAT'S FASCINATED ME SINCE I
LEARNED ABOUT THIS.
IF ANY OF YOU IN THE COUNCIL AND
IN THE COMMUNITY HAVE THOUGHTS
ABOUT MOVING BACK TO THIS ISSUE
OF METRICS IN 21st CENTURY TEAM
SCIENCE.
I HAVE A LOT OF CONCERNS THAT
THE WAY THAT WE INCENTIVIZE
SCIENCE IS THE MODEL OF SCIENCE
FROM THE 20th CENTURY AND THE
WAY WE DO SCIENCE NOW IS
DIFFERENT.
AND SO WHAT WILL THOSE METRICS
THAT WE SHOULD BE INCENTIVIZING?
ARE THEY THINGS LIKE BE A GOOD
TEAM PLAYER, MENTORSHIP,
REPRODUCE ACT, CURIOSITY-DRIVEN
INNOVA
INNOVATION.
IF YOU HAVE THOUGHTS, SHOOT ME
AN E-MAIL OR LET'S TALK.
I THINK THERE'S ROOM FOR
EXCITING WORK IN THIS AREA.
AND OF COURSE I'M EXCITED THAT
PEOPLE LIKE AMBER AND KERRIE
HAVE DONE GREAT WORK IN LEADING
THIS CHALLENGE.
LET ME MOVE ON.
I'M ALMOST AT THE END, GUYS.
WE'VE BEEN INTERESTED IN THE
SPIRIT OF REPRODUCIBILITY
BUILDING A FEDERATED VISION
RESEARCH NETWORK.
WE'VE LOOKED AT GETTING AT THE
IDEA OF REPRODUCIBILITY AND
TRIANGULATION TO SEE WHAT THE
TRUTH IS OUT THERE.
WE AT THE NEI HAVE COLLABORATED
WITH THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF
OPHTHALMOLOGY AND OBSERVATIONAL
HEALTH DATA SCIENCE AND
INFORMATICS A GLOBAL PRIVAA
PARTNERSHIP BASED ON THE DATA
MODEL.
OVER THE LAST YEAR WE PUT OUT A
$1 MILLION CHALLENGE COMPETITION
FOR INNOVATIVE IDEAS TO BUILD
OUT A FEDERATED VISION RESEARCH
NETWORK AND STANDARDIZE TWO
MODELS TO BASICALLY MAP KEY DATA
ELEMENTS AND BUILD OUT THIS
COMMON DATA MODEL.
A GROUP AT OREGON, MICHELLE
RIBAR IS FILLING OUT A DATA
COORDINATING CENTER TO HARMONIZE
DATA.
A GROUP AT COLUMBIA IS LOOKING
AT A SPECIFIC PROJECT TO LOOK AT
OPHTHALMOLOGY MEDICATION USE AND
ADHERENCE AND A GROUP AT
STANFORD IS BUILDING OUT A DATA
NETWORK AND THIS GROUP CONTAINS
A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ALSO
MEMBERS OF THE PDIG CLINICAL
TRIALS NETWORK.
AND WE HAVE THIS FEDERATED
VISION NETWORK.
I'M EXCITED BY THIS.
AND AMBER AND KERRIE DID A LOT
OF WORK IN SHEPHERDING THIS
CHALLENGE COMPETITION.
AND YOU KNOW WE'VE BEEN
INTERESTED.
YOU CAN'T HAVE REPRODUCIBILITY
WITHOUT INTEROPERABILITY AND
HAVE LOOKED AT STANDARD FOR
OCULAR IMAGING.
IMAGING DEVICES ARE THE SOURCE
OF ALL THIS REVOLUTION IN
CLINICAL CARE, A.I., DATA
SCIENCE, OTHER AREAS OF RESEARCH
IN ALMOST EVERY AREA AND NOT
JUST VISION RESEARCH BUT
RESEARCH MORE WIDELY.
AND RAW DATA COMES OUT OF THESE
MACHINES THAT GET CONVERTED TO
PICTURES AND NUMBERS AND ONE OF
THE HUGE CHALLENGES THAT YOU
OFTEN CAN'T GET RAW DATA OUT OF
THESE DEVICES BECAUSE THEY'RE
LOCKED IN PROPRIETARY STANDARDS
AND DATA SHARING AND IN THE
RADIOLOGY FIELD THEY'VE GONE A
LONG WAY TOWARDS ADDRESSING THIS
THROUGH THE DICOM STANDARD WHERE
ALL THE RADIOLOGICAL DEVICE PLUG
AND PLAY FOR DECADES BECAUSE
THEY CONFORM TO THE STANDARD.
IN THE VISION FIELD WE HAVE
DICOM STANDARDS FOR MOST THE
DEVICES AND HAVE HAD THEM FOR
YEARS OR OVER A DECADE IN CASES
BUT THEY'RE OFTEN NOT ADOPTED.
WE'VE TRIED TO MOVE THAT NEEDAL
WITH PARTNERS AND YOU KNOW ABOUT
THE WORKSHOP WE'VE CONDUCTED A
FEW YEARS AGO A POSITION PAPER
PUT OUT BY THE ARPO AND PUT OUT
THE GUIDE NOTICE AND IT
BASICALLY SAYS WE DON'T WANT TO
USE RESEARCH IF IT USES DEVICE
DON'T CONFORM TO STANDARDS LIKE
DICOM.
THE FDA HAS BEEN GREAT IN
HELPING US.
INITIALLY IT WAS EDELMAN AND NOW
MARTIAL TARVER AND ASTM, OSC
WANTS TO LIMIT INFORMATION
LOCKING.
THE WAY I'VE BEEN MESSAGING THIS
IS THAT IF YOU WORK ON A STUDY
AND SUBMIT A GRANT AND GETS A 1
PERCENTILE AND USES DEVICES THAT
AREN'T DICOM OR ANOTHER STANDARD
THEN WE DON'T FUND IT, DON'T
COMPLAIN TO YOUR PROGRAM
OFFICER.
GO TO THE VENDOR AND TALK TO
THEM ABOUT THIS BECAUSE THIS IS
HOW WE'LL DO THE BEST RESEARCH
AND THIS IS HOW WE'RE GOING TO
TAKE THE BEST CARE OF PATIENTS
THAT'S OPERABLE AND
REPRODUCIBLE.
WHERE IS THIS HEADING RIGHT NOW?
WE'VE BEEN WORKINGS WITH NIBIB
AND BIO ENGINEERING AND THE FDA
ON DISCUSSIONS HOW TO ADVANCE
THE PHANTOMS FOR IMAGING
STANDARDS.
PEOPLE COMPLAIN WHY DOES ONE
MACHINE MEASURE THIS MICRONS AND
THOUGH I MEASURE THE SAME
PATIENT BACK-TO-BACK AND HOPE
THIS CAN ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES.
IN COUNCIL ABOUT A YEAR AGO JOSH
DENNY SPOKE ABOUT THE ALL OF US
PROJECT AND WE'VE HAD A SPEAKER
FROM NIBIB ABOUT ALL AREAS OF
OPHTHALMIC IMAGING.
AND SO THE GOAL OF THE STUDY NOW
CALLED EYES ON HEALTH IS TO
COLLECT RETINAL IMAGES.
AND FUND THE PHOTOS FROM 5,000
PEOPLE IN THREE "ALL OF US"
SITES AND HOW TO DO THAT TO
BUILD A DATA SET TO BE USED FOR
KNOWLEDGE DISCOVERY AND
MULTI-OMIC SCORES AND HOW DO WE
INTEGRATE IMAGES INTO RESEARCH?
IT WILL BE THE FIRST TIME FOR
THE ALL OF US STUDY.
THE PEOPLE WHO PARTICIPATE IN
THIS ARE GOING TO GET A PHOTO
AND EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS AND
FOR THEIR TIME AND IF THEY HAVE
SIGNS OF OCULAR TUMORS THEY'LL
BE NOTIFIED ABOUT THAT.
SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS AND JOSH
DENNY, THANK YOU TO YOU AND YOUR
TEAM AND AMBER REED, THANK YOU
FOR THE WORK YOU'VE DONE IN THIS
AREA.
THERE'S BEEN MANY THINGS THAT
HAVE EVOLVED ABOUT THE FUNDING
LANDSCAPE HERE AT NIH AND TO
MAKE SURE YOU KNOW ABOUT A FEW
RESOURCES.
INFORMATION ABOUT TERMINATED
GRANTS IS AVAILABLE AT A NEW
WEBSITE.
HERE'S THE QR CODE THAT TAKES
YOU TO THAT WEBSITE AND THE
TITLE IS TRACKING ACCOUNTABILITY
AND GOVERNMENT GRANT SYSTEM.
IS THERE A RELATIVELY NEW NIH
SYSTEM CALLED THE NIH GRANTS AND
FUNDING INFORMATION STATUS WEB
PAGE.
I KNOW PEOPLE GOT CONFUSED ABOUT
THE COMMUNICATIONS AND
INFORMATION ABOUT THE
APPLICATION PROCESSES, WHAT DO
YOU NEED TO SUBMIT AND WHAT
DON'T YOU?
REVIEW PROCESSES, WHAT'S
HAPPENING WITH STUDY SECTIONS,
POLICIES, ADMINISTRATION.
PLEASE CONSIDER BOOKMARKING
THAT.
WE ARE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
FOR FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES.
YOU KNOW THERE'S BEEN SOME
OPPORTUNITIES UNPUBLISHED AND
OTHERS HAVE BEEN UPDATED TO
ALIGN WITH DIFFERENT AGENCY
PRIORITIES.
PLEASE REREAD THEM AND WHAT IS
NO LONGER REQUIRED IS THE S AND
DIVERSITY PLANS OR RECRUITMENT
PLANS TO ENHANCE DIVERSITY.
PLEASE BOOKMARK THESE SITES.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE AWARE
OF THESE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
THROUGH THE BRAIN RESEARCH.
MARTHA FLANDERS HAS DONE GREAT
WORK IN LEADING US THROUGH THE
BRAIN INITIATIVE.
A NEW INITIATIVE, A NEW CONCEPT
IN EARLY STAGE RESEARCH FOR
RECORDING AND MODULATION IN THE
NERVOUS SYSTEM.
THIS IS THE RFA.
THE SECOND ONE HERE IS PROMOTING
HEATH THROUGH ALL THROUGH BRAIN
TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIPS.
THIS IS TARGETED FOR
INVESTIGATORS AT PLACES THAT
HAVEN'T BEEN MAJOR RECIPIENTS OF
NIH FUNDING.
AGAIN FOR BOTH OF THESE THE
CONTACT PERSON IS MARTHA AND
TO
TONY GOVER HAS BECOME INTERESTED
IN ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIPS FOR
TRANSLATION OF TECHNOLOGIES.
HE'S BEEN PROMOTING THIS RO1 TO
UNDERSTAND DISEASE OR IN APPLIED
RESEARCH TO ASSESS RISK, DETECT,
TREAT OR MANAGE DISEASE.
HERE'S THE PAR AND IF YOU'RE
INTERESTED IN THIS, TALK TO
TONO.
-- TONY.
LET ME FINISH AS I KNOW WE'RE AT
THE END OF THE HOUR.
ONE OF THE PARTS OF OUR MISSION
IS TO RECRUIT, INSPIRE AND TRAIN
THE WORKFORCE.
TO SHOUT OUT TO PEOPLE AT THE
NIH POST ORE DAY A COUPLE MONTHS
AGO, SIX OF OUR PEOPLE RESOURCED
OUTSTANDING POSTER AWARDS SO
CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS GROUP.
FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS WE'VE
CONDUCTED A HIGH SCHOOL VIDEO
CONTEST TO TRY TO KIDS
INTERESTED IN SCIENCE AND
OPHTHALMOLOGY AND THIS YEAR
BECAUSE OF SO MANY CHANGES WE
DECIDED TO DO THIS VIRTUALLY AND
WE'RE NOW HOSTING STUDENTS IN
BETHESDA BUT WANTED TO GIVE A
SHOUT OUT TO THE STUDENTS WHO
RECEIVED THESE BECAUSE THESE
VIDEOS WERE REALLY GOOD.
WE GOT MORE SUBMISSIONS THIS
YEAR THAN EVER BEFORE.
JACK LYNCH FROM MISSOURI WAS THE
WINNER OF SCIENCE IN YOUR WORLD
CATEGORY.
AND WE HAVE A WINNER FROM
WASHINGTON FROM THE SCIENCE IN
ACTION CATEGORY AND THE SCIENCE
IN YOUR FUTURE, MAXWELL GRACE
AND MUHAMMAD FAWAAZ AND
CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS GROUP.
LASTLY ONE BIG THING WE'VE BEEN
TRYING TO PROMOTE IS CAREER
DEVELOPMENT.
I'VE WORKED WITH THE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF THE LEADING
VISUAL JOURNALS AND WE'VE HAD
HELP QUARTERBACKING THE GROUP
AND WE DEVELOPED A PROGRAM AS
FAR AS I KNOW MANY JOURNALS HAVE
EDITORIAL BOARDS MEANT TO TRAIN
JUNIOR PEOPLE BUT AS FAR AS I
KNOW THIS IS THE ONLY SUCH
PROGRAM ACROSS AN ENTIRE FIELD
OF DIFFERENT JOURNALS WORKING
TOGETHER AND I THINK IT'S A
TESTAMENT TO THE COMMUNITY THAT
WE HAVE.
SO THE GOAL IS THAT FROM MY
PERSPECTIVE I WANT TO CREATE
CAREER DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
FOR YOUNG SCIENTISTS AND
CLINICIAN SCIENTISTS K AWARDEES.
AND FROM THE JOURNAL'S
PERSPECTIVE THEY WANT EDITORIAL
MEMBERS.
WE RECENTLY ANNOUNCED A SECOND
COHORT OF FACULTY OF NINE PEOPLE
PICTURED HERE.
THERE'S A SCIENCE OF SCIENCE
SCHOLARS PILOT PROGRAM WITHIN
THE OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR AND
PAIRS RESEARCHERS INTERESTED IN
METASCIENCE TOGETHER WITH NIH
STAFF TO ANALYZE NIH PROCESSES
AND THEY'LL GET ACCESS TO NIH
ADMINISTRATIVE DATA.
AND IRA IS THE LEAD ON THIS.
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED HERE'S THE
QR CODE AND THESE TWO HAVE BEEN
MANAGING THE EARLY STAGE
INVESTIGATOR RO1 GRANTS AND THE
WAY YOU QUALINGFYFY IS YOU'RE N
EXPECTED TO HAVE PRELIMINARY
DATA.
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED TALK TO
THEM.
YOU KNOW THIS IS UNDER A LOT OF
DEBATE RIGHT NOW AND THE ONE
THING WE DO KNOW FOR CERTAIN IS
THAT WE ARE UNDER CONTINUING
RESOLUTION.
THAT WAS PASSED IN MARCH 2025.
AND THAT PROVIDES CONTINUING
FY25 APPROPRIATIONS FOR FEDERAL
AGENCIES THROUGH THE END OF THE
PHYSICAL YEAR WHICH FOR --
FISCAL YEAR AND WE'VE CONTINUED
AT FY24 LEVELS.
SO I'M GOING END IT WITH THAT
AND OPEN UP IF PEOPLE HAVE
COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS.
>> THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEW OF
WHAT THE VISION RESEARCH
COMMUNITY AND NEI HAS BEEN ABLE
TO ACCOMPLISH.
IT'S IMPRESSIVE NEI HAS BEEN IN
ITS MISSION AND HOPE IT WAS MORE
IMPRESSIVE TO THOSE OUTSIDE THE
COMMUNITY.
PART OF CONTINUING OF NEI
FULFILLING ITS MISSION WORKING
TOWARDS NEI AS AN INDEPENDENT
INSTITUTE.
I HAVE GREAT CONCERNS ABOUT THE
DISCUSSIONS OF CONSOLIDATION AT
INSTITUTES WITH ME HERE TO THE
COUNCIL MEETING.
IS THERE ANY ANALYSIS OR STUDY
AT THIS POINT ABOUT THE AFFECT
ON CONSOLIDATION ON THE NEI'S
ABILITY TO CONTINUE ITS MISSION.
WE'RE ALL INTERESTED IN
EFFICIENCIES AND SO FORTH.
DOES CONSOLIDATION SERVE NEI'S
PURPOSES AND I DON'T KNOW HOW
MUCH YOU'RE AT LIBERTY TO
DISCUSS OR KNOW AT THIS POINT.
EVOLUTION IS WE ADAPT AND EVOLVE
DO WE HAVE A SENSE OF THE EFFECT
OF CONSOLIDATION ON NEI'S
ABILITY TO CONTINUE ITS MISSION?
>> THANK YOU FOR RAISING THESE
ISSUES.
NONE OF US ARE PERMITTED TO
OPINE ON SPENDING LEGISLATION
BUT WE ARE ALLOWED TO DO IS TALK
ABOUT FACTS SO I'LL TRY TO LAY
OUT SOME OF THE FACTS IN
RESPONSE TO WHAT YOU MENTIONED.
MY JOB IS TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WE
DO IN THE SETTING WE'RE IN AND
WITH THE RESOURCE WE HAVE.
I'M EXTRAORDINARY PROUD OF WHAT
THIS COMMUNITY HAS DONE AND WHAT
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO AND I
THINK THAT WHAT WE TALK ABOUT
HERE IN THIS HOUR IS TRULY IN MY
ASSESSMENT THE TIP OF THE
ICEBERG IN TERMS OF WHAT'S BEEN
HAPPENING IN BETHESDA AND THAT'S
A TESTAMENT TO ME AND THE TEAM
WE HAVE HERE AND HOW PEOPLE LIKE
YOU ON COUNCIL HAVE HELPED GUIDE
US THROUGH THIS.
I WOULD SAY SO A COUPLE OF THE
FACTS ARE THAT WE WERE FOUNDED
IN 1968 AS ABLE INDEPENDENT
INSTITUTE AND BEFORE THAT WE
WERE WITHIN THE NEUROLOGY
INSTITUTE.
BACK IN 1968, ONE OF THE REASONS
NEI WAS FOUNDED WITHIN THE
VISION COMMUNITY THERE WERE DATA
SHOWING AMERICANS WERE MORE
CONCERNED ABOUT VISION LOSS
COMPARED TO MANY OF THE OTHER
PROBLEMS THAT PEOPLE CAN HAVE.
THE OTHER CONCERN THAT LED TO
THE FOUNDING IN 1968 WAS VISION
PROPOSALS OFTEN GOT LOST WITHIN
OTHER THINGS IN THE BRAIN AND
THINGS THAT AREN'T INVOLVING THE
BRAIN.
OR NEUROSCIENCE PER SE.
THAT'S WHAT'S LED TO NEI BEING
FOUNDED.
THE OTHER FACTOR IS THAT SINCE
1968 WE NOW HAVE WAYS TO MANAGE
ALMOST ALL THE COMMON CAUSES OF
VISION LOSS.
THEY DON'T ALWAYS WORK AS WELL
AS WE WOULD LIKE BUT IN 1968 WE
DIDN'T HAVE THOSE AND MOST WERE
BLINDING.
ONE OF THE THINGS AND BECAUSE OF
THINGS AT THE NEI AND WHEN I SAY
WE, I WASN'T AROUND IN 1968 AND
CERTAINLY WASN'T LEADING THIS
INSTITUTE.
THOSE ARE FACTS.
NOW, THAT DOESN'T PROVE ANY
ASSOCIATION.
THE OTHER FACT IS YES, IT IS AS
YOU'RE SUGGESTING THERE'S A
BUDGET AND A BILL THAT PROPOSES
CONSOLIDATION OF 27 INSTITUTES
INTO EIGHT INSTITUTES AND IN
THAT PROPOSAL WE GO WITH THE
VISUAL RESEARCH.
I THINK DIFFERENT -- WE'RE GOING
TO DO FROM MY PERSPECTIVE WE'RE
GOING TO DO THE BEST JOB IN THE
SETTING WE'RE PLACED IN.
AND PEOPLE HAVE OPINIONS.
THERE ARE MECHANISMS THAT SHARE
THOSE OPINIONS.
THAT'S NOT MY JOB OR WHAT TO SAY
MY JOB IS TO DO THE BEST I CAN
DO IN THE SETTING WE'RE IN.
AND I DO THINK THAT ONE OPINION
THAT I AM PERMITTED TO SHARE IS
THAT I'M PROUD OF THE JOB WE'VE
DONE AND I DON'T FEEL I CAN BE
THE ONE THAT TAKES THE CREDIT.
FOR -- THAT WE TRY TO HIGHLIGHT
THOSE DOING THE REAL WORK ON
THAT.
I HOPE THAT ADDRESSES SOME OF
THE THINGS YOU'RE GETTING AT
HERE.
>> I APPRECIATE YOUR ADVOCACY.
IT'S VERY MUCH APPRECIATED AND I
APPRECIATE YOUR ANSWER TO A
SENSITIVE QUESTION.
I GUESS WITHIN THE CONSTRAINTS
THEIR FACTS, ARE YOU AWARE OF
ANY EVEN-HANDED ANALYSIS WITH OR
WITHOUT NIH OF SORT OF POSTCONS
AND BALANCE OF CONTROL OF
LEGISLATION OR ALL I CAN TELL
YOU IS HERE'S THE GOOD WE'VE
DONE.
YOU MAKE THE CALL LEGISLATIVELY.
IS THERE ANY ANALYSIS OR IS IT
GOING TO BE A LEGISLATIVE
DECISION?
>> ITEM NOT AWARE OF ANY
ANALYSIS.
THESE ARE THINGS YOU CAN'T DO
CONTROL STUDIES ON VERSUS
WITHOUT.
ONE OF THE THINGS -- I SEE AS MY
JOB TO REPRESENT A COMMUNITY.
IN THIS CASE THE COMMUNITY IS
PEOPLE LIKE, NUMBER ONE WHO HAVE
DISEASE THAT AFFECT THE EYE OR
WHO HAVE VISION LOSS OR
CONCERNED ABOUT DISEASES.
AND THAT'S THE COMMUNITY IT
THAT'S THE CONSTITUENCY FOR LACK
OF A BETTER WORD.
THE OTHER COMMUNITY WE REPRESENT
IS THE PEOPLE WHO DO RESEARCH IN
THAT AREA -- IN THOSE AREAS AND
THE PEOPLE WHO POTENTIALLY CAN
BE DOING RESEARCH BECAUSE OF
THEIR EXPERTISE OVERLAPS AND SO
I THINK REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE
SITUATION IS, WE'LL HAVE TO FIND
WAYS TO CONNECT WITH THOSE
COMMUNITIES.
RIGHT NOW OF COURSE THERE'S A
NATIONAL WAY TO DO IT BECAUSE
WE'RE AN EYE INSTITUTE.
I THINK THOSE ARE SOME OF THE
ISSUES THAT WE'VE ALL BEEN
THINKING THROUGH.
>> THANK YOU, MICHAEL.
>> ANNA, I MAY TURN BACK TO YOU?
>> THANK YOU FOR THAT.
LET'S TAKE I'M GOING TO ROUND IT
UP.
LET'S TAKE A 17-MINUTE BREAK.
LET'S RETURN AT 11:45.
AND THEN WE WILL START WITH
DR. HONGMAN SONG AND TAKE A
QUICK BREAK AND 11:45 WE'LL
RESUME AND AFTER OPEN SESSION
WE'LL GO RIGHT INTO THE CLOSED
SESSION. 11:45.
SEE YOU THEN.
I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE PRADEET
RAMULU.
CAN YOU UNMUTE AND INTRODUCE
YOURSELF TO THE AUDIENCE,
PLEASE.
>> SURE.
SORRY I WASN'T HERE EARLIER.
THIS IS OUR ANNUAL RESIDENCE
DAY.
MICHAEL, CONGRATULATIONS ON
BEING ALUMNI AND I'M WITH JOHN
HOPKINS MY RESEARCH IS IN
FUNCTIONAL IMPAIRMENT AND HOW IT
DERIVES FROM DIMINISHED
CAPABILITY AND HOW IT MAY BE
REHABILITATED.
>> HOW TO FOR BEING HERE.
I KNOW YOU'RE IN TWO PLACES AT
THE SAME TIME.
GREAT TO SEE YOU AND THANK YOU.
ANNA, CAN WE GO BACK TO YOU?
>> THANK YOU.
SO WE WILL NOW HAVE INE -- AN
UPDATE FROM DR. SONG ON THE
TRIENNIAL INCLUSION REPORT.
>> DR. SONG YOUR MUTED.
>> WE'LL TRY THAT AGAIN.
THERE YOU GO.
>> WE NEED TO REPORT TO THE
COUNCIL FROM THE NEI IN THE
CERTIFYING COMPLIANCE WITH THE
NIH PARTICIPANT INCLUSION
GUIDELINES AND SUPPORTING THE
RESEARCH AND PRESENT THE DATA TO
THE COUNCIL.
UTE --
OUTLINED HERE IS THE POLICY.
THIS POLICY IS ALWAYS ON OUR
WEBSITE.
THE FUNDING OPPORTUNITY THERE'S
TO ADVOCATE AND INSTRUCT PEER
REVIEW MANUALS AND TRAIN OUR
STAFF.
WE ALSO HAVE TRACKING SYSTEM TO
DOCUMENT THE COMPLIANCE IN FACTS
IN ADDITION PROGRAM DIRECTORS
AND ANALYSIS IN THE TRIALS AND
PROVIDE OVERSIGHT TO ENSURE
COMPLIANT.
AND I WANT TO OFFER THE SLIDE IN
TERMS OF DATA WE HAVE HERE.
THIS TABLE OF ENROLLMENT FOR NEI
SUPPORTED RESEARCH.
OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS THE
SECOND HERE SHOWS THE NUMBER OF
TOTAL IERs AT NEI AND SOME
PROJECT HAVE NOT YET ENROLLED
PARTICIPANT.
SO THERE'S A RESULT IN I ASK THE
RESULT IN ENROLLMENT.
ON AVERAGE PER YEAR AS SHOWN IN
THE ORANGE BOX.
MOST OF THESE STUDIES ARE
CONDUCTED AT THE SITES.
AND HAVE FEMALE OR MALE ONLY
STUDIES.
AND THE MAJORITY OF IERs WITH
ENROLLMENT INCLUDE BOTH MALE AND
FEMALE PARTICIPANTS.
LET'S FIRST LOOK AT DATA BY SEX.
THIS IS FOR DOMESTIC PARTICIPANT
THE SUPPORTED SUBJECT RESEARCH.
THE BLACK IS THE NEI AND THE
WHITE IS THE U.S. POPULATION.
AND THE SUPPORTED STUDIES 54% OF
PARTICIPANTS ARE FEMALE WHICH IS
COMPARABLE TO THE PERCENTAGE IN
THE POPULATION.
HERE WE LOOK AT THE MAKE UP OF
PARTICIPANTS AS SHOWN IN THE
CHART.
WE'RE PUTTING PEOPLE FROM ALMOST
EVERY CATEGORY.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE HISPANIC,
NON-HISPANIC IT'S MORE THAN 15%
PARTICIPANT IDENTIFY AS HISPANIC
IN THE IN OUR HUMAN PROJECTS.
THE NEXT IS TRIALS.
THE CHART SHOWS THE PERCENTAGES
OF MALE AND FEMALE PARTICIPANTS
IN OUR TRIALS.
AND HERE AGAIN THE PARTICIPANS
IN THE U.S. POPULATION.
IN TERMS OF CATEGORIES,
INDIVIDUALS REPRESENT THE 13% OF
PARTICIPANTS IN OUR TRIALS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.
I'LL NOW HAND IT BACK TO DR
DR. FANG.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
WE WOULD LIKE TO NOW OPEN THE
MEETING FOR GENERAL DISCUSSION
FOR THE COUNCIL MEMBERS.
IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION YOU CAN
ASK DIRECTLY TO DR. SONG OR OPEN
IT UP.
I'LL HAND IT OVER TO DR. CHIANG
TO MODERATE.
>> THANK YOU.
HAPPY IT TALK ABOUT ANY COMMENTS
PEOPLE HAVE
>> THANKS FOR THE REPORT.
THIS IS DON MUTI.
IT LOOKS POSITIVE IN TERMS OF
REPRESENTATION.
ONE THOUGHT I HAD AS I WAS
READING AND HEARING YOUR
PRESENTATION IT REMINDED ME OF
WHAT DR. CHANG WAS SAYING EARLY
ON WHEN HE WAS DESCRIBING NIH
DIRECTOR'S PRIORITIES FOR
GENERALIZABILITY.
SOMETIMES VOCABULARY MATTERS AND
WORD CHOICE MATTERS AND IF
DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION
HAVE BECOME POLITICAL CRY
CHARGED, GENERALIZABILITY LOOKS
LIKE THIS UNIVERSAL SCIENTIFIC
VALUE THAT IS -- IS NOT A
POLITICAL WORD AND HAVE
EFFECTIVE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
BUT MAYBE AVOID VOCABULARY THAT
MIGHT BE PROBLEMATIC AND
STRIVING FOR GENERALIZABILITY
AND THE USE OF THE WORD
GENERALIZABILITY MAY BE A GOOD
VOCABULARY SUBSTITUTION THAT
DOESN'T CREATE PROBLEMS BUT
STILL MAINTAINS THE VALUE OF OUR
SCIENCE.
>> DON, THANK YOU FOR MAKING
THOSE POINTS.
GREAT POINTS.
OPEN FOR MEANT PEOPLE MAY HAVE.
>> THANK YOU FOR GOING THROUGH
THE WONDERFUL VAST AND
INCREDIBLY BREADTH OF JUST THE
BREADTH OF WHAT NEI IS DOING.
I WISH WE COULD EXPAND THE
MISSION AS A COLLEGIAL GROUP OF
INVESTIGATORS AND OTHER
INDIVIDUALS JUST TRYING TO
MAINTAIN A VERY HIGH LEVEL OF
VISION SCIENCE.
AND I WAS JUST -- EVERY TIME YOU
PRESENT I'M JUST SO IN AWE OF
THE BREADTH OF THE WORK AND THE
TALENT OF THE INVESTIGATORS AND
I WISH THERE WAS SO WAY A.I.
COULD BRING OUT HOW SPECIAL WE
ARE AND THE INSTITUTE IS AND THE
INDIVI
INDIVIDUALITY NEEDS TO BE
MAINTAINED TO CONTINUE THE HIGH
LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE.
I THINK WE ALL NEED TO BE PART
OF SOMETHING.
NO MATTER WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE
ARE, WE NEED TO HAVE A COHORT OF
OUR OWN AND I THINK SOMETIMES
THE WAY WE PROCEED TO ALL THE
DIFFICULT TIMES UP AND DOWN IT'S
OUR GROUP OF COLLEAGUES AND
STUDENTS.
IT'S A WIDE NET BUT WE'RE ALL
PART OF SOMETHING REALLY UNIQUE.
I JUST REALLY HOPE THAT WE COULD
SHOUM -- EXTEND THE MESSAGE OUT
AND I THIS WERE HARD QUESTIONS I
WAS AFRAID TO ASK.
SO I'M GLAD HE ASKED THEM AND I
WANT TO REITERATE.
I'M SO I THINK WE HAVE SO MUCH
TO BE PROUD OF AND SHOULD BE
ABLE TO TELL THE WORLD AND MAYBE
MAINTAIN OUR INDIVIDUALITY AS AN
INSTITUTE.
THAT'S ALL.
I WANTED TO THANK YOU BECAUSE I
KNOW THAT WAS A LOT OF WORK TO
PREPARE AND ESPECIALLY NOW DOING
AN EXCELLENT JOB OF HIGHLIGHTING
KEY AREAS.
I HOPE OTHER IMPORTANT PEOPLE
THAT MAKE DECISIONS CAN HAVE
ACCESS TO THAT KIND OF
INFORMATION BECAUSE THEY HAVE
ACCESS BUT WHETHER THEY READ IT
OR ARE AWARE OF IT, I THINK THAT
WOULD HELP OUR CAUSE.
>> THANKS FOR SAYING ALL THE
THINGS YOU SAID.
I GUESS PART OF PARTLY THE WAY
I'LL START MY REBOUSPONSE IS
OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE SOME THINGS
DISH CANNOT OWE PINE ABOUT WHAT
I THINK IS ABOUT PENDING
LEGISLATION BUT MY JOB IS TO DO
THE BEST JOB WE CAN DO WITH THE
SITUATION WE'RE IN AND THE
RESOURCE THAT WE HAVE.
AS WE SAID, I'M PROUD WE'VE BEEN
TRYING DO THAT AND I THINK WE'VE
DONE IT REALLY WELL.
MARIA, GETTING TO THE POINTS YOU
MADE AND FOLLOWING ON THEM.
ONE THING I'VE TRIED TO DO IS
HAVE A GROUP AND INSTITUTE
THAT'S MISSION ORIENTED AND
FOCUSSED AROUND THE STRATEGIC
PLAN.
YOU ALL KNOW THIS AND THE WAY I
PHRASED IT TO OUR LEADERSHIP IS
THAT WE TALK ABOUT THE MISSION
ALL THE TIME AND FOCUS ON THE
INITIATIVES FROM A STRATEGIC
PLANNING PROCESS WITHIN THE
FIRST YEAR AND PUBLISHED IT A
YEAR AFTER I STARTED.
AND WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO CHECK
OFF THINGS.
OF COURSE IT EVOLVES OVER TIME
AND WE HAVE A GREAT GROUP OF
STAFF PROGRAM OFFICERS AND
INTRAMURAL PEOPLE IN HOW DO WE
BEST MEET OUR MISSION AND
ACHIEVE THE CURRENT SUB STAN --
SUBSTANTIATION OF WHAT WE WANT
TO DO WITH THE STRATEGIC PLAN
AND THAT'S HOW WE RUN A GOOD
ORGANIZATION.
TO THE COHORT CONCEPT YOU GAVE,
MARIA, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS
I LOVE ABOUT THIS FIELD IS THAT
IN MY ASSESSMENT I AGREE WITH
YOU THAT WE'RE SMALL ENOUGH THAT
EVERYBODY KNOWS -- WE KNOW ALL
THE KEY -- WE GIVE THESE PEOPLE,
THESE AWARDS AND THE DIFFERENT
THINGS WE KNOW THESE PEOPLE
WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.
ONE OF THEY WILL PEOPLE THAT
USED TO BE ON THE COUNCIL, CHRIS
VAN GELDER WE WERE IN A MEETING
A YEAR AGO AND RUSS MADE THE
COMMENT AND I DON'T REMEMBER THE
EXACT NUMBER BUT IF YOU WERE
JUST TO LOOK AT OPHTHALMOLOGISTS
THERE'S 500 OR 600 PER YEAR THAT
GO INTO THE WORKFORCE AND THAT'S
BASICALLY A LARGE HIGH SCHOOL.
SO WE KNOW -- AND WE CAN DO
STRATEGIC PLANNING AND EVERYONE
CAN WORK TOGETHER AND THE
CONCEPT OF THE WHOLE BEING
GREATER THAN THE SUM OF THE
PARTS, WE ALL TALK ABOUT IT.
CANDIDLY, MARIA, WE NEED TO LOOK
IN THE MIRROR AND IS THE WHOLE
REALLY GREATER THAN THE SUM OF
THE PARTS?
DO WE HAVE PARTS SCATTERED.
MY ASPIRATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO
CREATE AN ECO SYSTEM WHERE THE
WHOLE REALLY IS GREATER THAN THE
SUM OF THE PARTS AND DO THAT
WITH TEAM SCIENCE AND
COLLABORATIONS THAT MEANS NEW
INCENTIVES AND IS THE COMMUNITY
WE HAVE CAN PILOT THOSE THINGS
AND STARTED DOING IT.
THOSE ARE -- AT THE SAME TIME
WHILE BEING SMALL ENOUGH TO DO
THAT, I THINK WE WORK IN A
PROBLEM VISION THAT'S IMPORTANT
ENOUGH AND BIG ENOUGH THAT IT
MAKES A DIFFERENCE AT SCALE.
PEOPLE WILL NOTICE I HOPE WHAT
THE COMMUNITY DOES BECAUSE WE
WANT TO SOLVE PROBLEMS THAT ARE
IMPORTANT TO AMERICANS.
SO THOSE ARE SOME OF MY
REACTIONS TO WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT
BEING -- I GUESS YOUR WORD WAS
BEING SPECIAL AND A COHORT OF
OUR OWN.
COMING UP WITH WAYS TO PROVE WE
CAN HAVE A WHOLE THAT'S GREATER
THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS.
THANK YOU FOR RAISING THAT.
DON.
>> SPECIAL HITS ME AS A KEY WORD
HERE.
I'VE APPRECIATED YOUR TOPIC ON
THE FOUNDING NEI AND WHY IT'S A
SEPARATE INSTITUTE.
I THINK THE INSTITUTE IS SPECIAL
BECAUSE VISION IS SPECIAL.
WE LOVE BEING A PART OF VISION
RESEARCH BECAUSE OF HOW HIGHLY
WE PRIZE VISION.
YOU MENTIONED PEOPLE'S CONCERN
ABOUT BLINDING EYE DISEASE AS
BEING AS STRONG AS BEING
AFFECTED BY ANY NUMBER OR ANY
OTHER DISEASES AND I DON'T THINK
THAT'S GONE AWAY.
WHAT WAS TRUE IN 1968 IS AS TRUE
THEN AS IT IS TODAY VISION
RESEARCH IS UNIQUE BECAUSE
VISION IS A UNIQUE SENSE AND
WOULD HATE TO SEE ANY DILUTION
OF WHAT HAS BEEN A SUPERB EFFORT
OVER THE LAST 50 SOME YEARS.
THINKING BACK TO 1968 IT MAY BE
ONE OF THE BEST THINGS TO COME
OUT OF THAT YEAR IS A
RECOGNITION THAT VISION RESEARCH
SHOULD BE A SEPARATE INSTITUTE.
>> THANKS FOR THAT COMMENT.
>> WELL, I'LL DO ONE LAST CALL
AND HAPPY TO END IT HERE IF YOU
FEEL IT'S A GOOD POINT TO STOP
IT AND TURN IT BACK TO ANNA.
GREAT, ANNA, BACK TO YOU AND
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE.
>> THANK YOU, THIS WITH US
GREAT.
BEFORE WE CLOSE TODAY, IF YOU
HAVE ANY IDEAS FOR TOPICS YOU
WOULD LIKE FOR US TO COVER IN
THE FUTURE MEETINGS ESPECIALLY
WE HAVE ONE COMING UP IN
OCTOBER, IF THERE'S SOMETHING
YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE
ABOUT, PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO
LET US KNOW, CONTACT US.
SO RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A SLIGHT
CHANGE FROM THE AGENDA.
WE'RE NOW GOING TO TRANSITION
SINCE WE'RE AHEAD A LITTLE BIT
DIRECTLY TO THE CLOSED SESSION.
SO THOSE JOINING THE CLOSED
SESSION, COUNCIL MEMBERS, OD AND
NEA EXTRAMURAL STAFF LOG OFF
THIS SESSION AND USE THE CLOSED
SESSION LINK AND AGAIN, LOG OFF,
REJOIN IN THE CLOSED SESSION
LINK.
I'LL SEE YOU OVER ON THE CLOSED
SESSION SIDE.
FOR THE REST OF YOU, THANK YOU
ALL OF YOU, FOR JOINING TODAY.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT AND
HOPEFULLY WE WILL SEE YOU BACK
IN OCTOBER.
>> AND BEFORE EVERYONE SIGNS OFF
I WANT TO GIVE YOU AND NATHAN A
SHOUT OUT FOR PUTTING THIS
TOGETHER BECAUSE NATHAN HAS
ALWAYS DONE AN AWESOME JOB WITH
COORDINATING THIS AND CONNECTING
ALL THE DOTS.
NATHAN'S DOING IT IN A
CHALLENGING CIRCUMSTANCE
CONVERTING VIRTUAL AND ANNA YOU
HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB TODAY OF
PUTTING THIS TOGETHER AND TALK
ABOUT 0 TO 60 AND THE TIME YOU
HAD TO GO FROM 0 TO 60 WAS VERY
SHORT.
AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE
KNOW THAT PUBLICALLY SO WITH
THAT I'LL FINISH IN SAYING WHAT
YOU SAID, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE.
WE'LL SEE YOU ON THE CLOSED
SESSION SIDE FOR THOSE JOINING.
OKAY.
ANNA, NATHAN, THANKS AGAIN.