Newsworthy
September 2023
Revathi is now an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Columbia! Hard work pays off. Congratulations!
August 2023
Congratulations to Nick on earning his hard-earned Ph.D. He absolutely nailed his defense!
July 2023
Congratulations to Miranda for getting accepted into Medical School at USC!
March 2022
Congratulations to Qing on receiving a Shaffer Grant from the Glaucoma Research Foundation.
February 2022
Congratulations to both Aakriti and Sally on being accepted into graduate programs in neuroscience and medical school respectively. They will start in August 2022. We know they will hit the ground running.
January 2022
Research highlighted after clinical trial
Promising results published for clinical trial treating glaucoma with the nutrients vitamin B3 and pyruvate.
April 2021
Congratulations to Revathi on being awarded a Bright Focus Foundation grant to study developmental glaucoma.
January 2021
Glaucoma and Genetics Come Into Focus
December 2020
Dr. John received the Sanford and Susan Greenberg Visionary Prize to End Blindness 20/20
Please read more at the following links:
National Geographic (subscription required)
November 2020
New metabolic treatment strategies for glaucoma
Paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). We discover further metabolic disturbances that contribute to glaucoma vulnerability. We expand the treatment options by showing that both pyruvate and rapamycin are protective against glaucoma. This builds on our concept of metabolic and resilience-boosting treatments.
December 2019
Simon John joins the Department of Ophthalmology at Columbia University
April 2018
May 2017
Preserving Metabolic Function in Glaucoma
Further work from the John lab demonstrating that metabolism-supporting, resilience-based treatments are effective against glaucoma. We show that treatment with vitamin B3 enhances the effects of gene-based therapeutic interventions and protects from all assessed measures of glaucoma.
April 2017
Providing a Clearer View On Glaucoma Processes
Paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) suggests that immune changes occur very early following IOP elevation and prior to any detected retinal ganglion cell dysfunction. The research provides evidence that astrocytes protect retinal ganglion cells during periods of increased pressure in the eye via a pathway involving complement C3.
February 2017
A breakthrough paper demonstrating metabolic abnormalities in glaucoma. We show that NAD-boosting treatments, including gene therapy, are potently protective in an inherited mouse model of glaucoma. This work led to the concept of Resilience-boosting treatments that enhance bioenergetic and other cellular resources to prevent glaucoma.
OldeR news
July 2014
The John Lab shows that the Schlemm’s canal is a unique vessel that develops by a novel process called “canalogenesis”. The paper is published in PLOS Biology.
February 2014
Gareth Howell accepts Lewis Rudin Glaucoma Prize
Our discoveries were honored with the Lewis Rudin Glaucoma Prize for the paper: Radiation treatment inhibits monocyte entry into the optic nerve head and prevents neuronal damage in a mouse model of glaucoma. J Clin Invest 122(4):1246–1261.
October 2013
Dr. John accepts 2013 Bressler Prize in Vision Science
May 2013
Inter-Institutional Symposium: Biomedical Engineering & Genetics
March 2013
Dr. Gareth Howell receives Shaffer Prize for innovative glaucoma research
Spring 2013
Mouse models of a blinding disease paired with tiny devices lead to big ideas for treatments
August 2012
Congratulations to Dr. Gareth Howell, Ph.D., promoted to Jackson Laboratory faculty, to study Alzheimer’s disease and glaucoma
September 2011
Dr. Gareth Howell is awarded NIH R01 funding to study the complement cascade in glaucoma
May 2011
John Lab discovers a gene for Angle Closure Glaucoma
Paper published in Nature Genetics
March 2011
Research linking RNA granules to juvenile cataracts and glaucoma published in Science
April 2010
Gareth Howell granted Thomas R. Lee Award for National Glaucoma Research
Dr. Howell's award from the American Health Assistance Foundation will support his research to assess the importance of the Endothelin System in glaucoma, specifically its role as a mechanism of neuronal cell death. The research will use a mouse model of heritable glaucoma, concentrating on early stages of the disease, prior to significant neuronal cell loss. Endothelins are known to influence blood pressure. Howell's work shows that Endothelins change very early on in glaucoma and could even be driving pathogenesis. This work has the potential to lead to improved therapies for human glaucoma.
February 2010
Simon John invited to lecture at 40th Anniversary Celebration of the National Eye Institute
March 2009
Simon John invited to lecture at Cardiff University for 125th Anniversary
November 2008
HHMI awards $40 million dollars for unique collaboration
John awarded Collaborative Innovation Award for work with Purdue engineers on ultra-miniature sensors.
September 2008
Partridge Foundation grants $1.25 million to John for radiation-based neuroprotection
August 2008
Alcon Research Institute Award
Simon John is one of seven researchers recognized by the Alcon Research Institute of Fort Worth, Texas, for dedicating their lives to enhancing the understanding of vision and eye health. These seven doctors, who were nominated by previous winners and selected by ARI’s independent Scientific Selection Committee, will receive $100,000 in unrestricted grant money from the ARI to continue pursuing their research into the underlying causes of eye disease. They also will be recognized at the ARI’s biennial symposium in 2009, where they will present their research to all of the members of the ARI. (adapted from JAX press release)
December 2006
Simon John accepts 2005 World Glaucoma Association (WGA) Science Award for radiation paper and his creative and breakthrough body of research on glaucoma
April 2006
Simon John Lab finds genetic link to cerebral hemorrhage and brain disease in infants
Research finds genetically weakened blood vessels may increase danger of certain type of stroke
Findings published in The New England Journal of Medicine
May 2005
John Lab discovers gene mutation that leads to cerebral hemorrhaging
Paper published in Science
March 2005
Radiation with bone marrow transplant prevents neurodegeneration in inherited glaucoma
Important findings published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
August 2004
Simon John awarded 2004 Lewis Rudin Glaucoma Prize
April 2004
Simon John awarded ARVO's Cogan Award
The Cogan Award is presented annually to a researcher of 40 years of age or younger, who has made important and worthwhile contributions to research in ophthalmology or visual science that are directly related to disorders of the human eye or visual system, and who shows substantial promise for future research. Dr. John has been selected to receive this honor for his important contributions in the development, analysis, and use of mouse models for genetic and therapeutic studies of glaucoma. Dr. John will receive the award and present the Cogan Lecture on Tuesday, April 27 at the 2004 ARVO Annual Meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (adapted from JAX press release)
March 2003
John Lab discovers important gene in inherited glaucoma
Findings published in Science
May 1997
Simon John selected to be a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator
