Basic laboratory research in the UAB Department of Ophthalmology includes investigation into the basic mechanisms underlying eye disease with the long-term goal of developing effective treatments for blinding disorders. The laboratory research faculty currently comprises five faculty investigators representing the areas of anatomy, pathology, cell biology, biochemistry, microbiology, neurobiology, molecular biology, and developmental biology. The faculty are Christine Curcio PhD, Clyde Guidry PhD, Judith Kapp PhD, Russell Read MD, and Shu-Zhen Wang PhD. The faculty is assisted in their endeavors by a technical staff, graduate students, fellows, and an administrative associate.

Research programs focus on the following areas: pathobiology of age-related macular degeneration, neural circuits in the retina, cell biology of proliferative retinal disease, molecular biology of retinal development and plasticity, ocular inflammatory disease, ocular immunology, and retinal transplantation. Consult the directory for descriptions of individual faculty’s research programs.

Space dedicated to basic laboratory research includes over 5,000 sq ft of laboratories committed to individual faculty members. An additional 1,000 sq ft includes a conference room and a shared equipment facility containing a transmission electron microscope, ultramicrotomes, dark room with enlarger, cryostat, ultracentrifuge, high speed centrifuge, scintillation counter, speed vac/lyophilizer, and spectrophotometer. Plans are now on the drawing board to expand basic laboratory research facilities with an additional 10,000 square feet in a neighboring building.

Basic laboratory research in the UAB Department of Ophthalmology is funded largely from external sources, particularly the National Eye Institute. Additional funds come from private foundations such as Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc., the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the EyeSight Foundation of Alabama, the International Retinal Research Foundation, The Glaucoma Foundation, and The Foundation Fighting Blindness. Construction of new laboratory space in the 1990's was also funded by generous contributions from private individuals,including the Angelo Bruno family, Allan McDonald, and Jamie McWain, and foundations including Research to Prevent Blindness and the EyeSight Foundation of Alabama.

The faculty have cross-appointments in other UAB departments, including Cell Biology, Neurobiology, Pathology, Microbiology, and Physiological Optics. Faculty also participate in the activity of several UAB research centers and units, such as the Center for Aging, the Atherosclerosis Research Unit, the Vision Science Research Center, and Cell Adhesion and Matrix Research Center.