January 2026
Research Breakthrough: Insights Into the Roots of Diabetic Retinopathy
Doheny Eye Institute is among the leading institutions actively researching diabetic retinopathy, a complication from diabetes that causes vision impairment and blindness. It impacts an estimated 9.6 million Americans.
Recently, a team of Doheny Eye Institute researchers — Mahesh Agarwal, PhD; Sathishkumar Chandrakumar, PhD; Irene Santiago Tierno, MS; Emma M. Lessieur, MD, PhD; and Kaustabh Ghosh, PhD —published significant new findings that shed light on how diabetic eye disease begins. The findings were published in the medical research journal Diabetes.
The study examines lysyl oxidase (LOX), an enzyme the body normally uses to strengthen tissues. In diabetes, LOX is produced in excess, and the researchers found that this surplus can “supercharge” neutrophils, a type of white blood cell. Instead of functioning normally, these cells become unusually aggressive because LOX alters actin, the protein that helps cells move. When these overactive neutrophils reach the retina, they can damage the delicate lining of the eye’s small blood vessels, triggering the early stages of diabetic retinopathy.
Because current treatments address only later phases of the disease and cannot reverse existing damage, understanding these early mechanisms is an important step toward better ways to protect vision.
Mark Your Calendar: Upcoming Doheny Eye Institute Events
With the start of a new year comes a busy few months of Doheny Eye Institute events. We hope you will mark your calendar and join us!
4th Annual Doheny-UCLA International Retina Symposium
- When: January 31, 2026, from 7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
- Where: Doheny Eye Institute, 2nd Floor Conference Room
- Details: This year’s program features international keynote speakers Sobha Sivaprasad, MD, FRCOphth (Moorfields Eye Hospital, UK), and Mark W. Johnson, MD (University of Michigan), who will share forward-looking insights on retinal disease management and emerging innovations in clinical practice. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of new treatments for AMD, surgical advancements, and the latest in translational research.
Distinguished Lecture Series February 2026: David Gamm, MD, PhD
- When: February 27, 2026, from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
- Where: Doheny Eye Institute, 2nd Floor Conference Room
- Details: Dr. David M. Gamm’s work focuses on harnessing human pluripotent stem cell technologies to understand and treat retinal degenerative diseases. His lab creates “mini-retinas” or three-dimensional retinal tissues in vitro, containing functional photoreceptors, to model human retinal development and disease. In his more recent seminal work, he explores cell- and gene-based therapies to replace or preserve photoreceptors in conditions like retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, Usher syndrome, and Choroideremia.
Annual CME Conference
- When: March 21, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Where: Doheny Eye Institute, 2nd Floor Conference Room
- Details: This CME course highlights current and evolving concepts in cornea, refractive surgery, and comprehensive ophthalmology. Through focused lectures and case-based discussions, expert faculty will review practical, evidence-based approaches to diagnosis and management, with an emphasis on techniques and insights that can be applied immediately in clinical practice.
Distinguished Alumnus Dinner
- When: March 21, 2026, from 5:30 – 9:00 p.m.
- Where: Private club in Pasadena, CA
- Details: Join us for a special evening as we celebrate John C. Affeldt, MD, our 2026 Doheny Distinguished Alumnus. This promises to be a fun and meaningful gathering, an opportunity to reconnect with fellow alumni, share stories, and reminisce about your time at Doheny. Dr. Affeldt’s career reflects the very best of Doheny’s traditions: rigorous training, generous teaching, and lifelong service. A cornea and ocular surface specialist, dedicated educator, and longtime steward of the Doheny alumni community, he embodies the spirit and legacy that make Doheny so special.
Distinguished Lecture Series March 2026: Aaron Lee, MD, MSCI
- When: March 25, 2026, from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
- Where: Doheny Eye Institute, 2nd Floor Conference Room
- Details: Dr. Aaron Y. Lee is a physician-scientist whose research bridges ophthalmology and artificial intelligence / computational medicine. He develops interpretable, generalizable AI and deep learning models that integrate multimodal health data (e.g., retinal imaging + EHRs) to detect eye disease and systemic conditions. In his most recent high-impact work, he is co-leading AI-READI, an ethically governed, multimodal dataset initiative for type 2 diabetes intended to power fair, transparent AI investigations across diverse populations.
Distinguished Lecture Series April 2026: Vladimir Kefalov, PhD
- When: April 10, 2026, from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
- Where: Doheny Eye Institute, 2nd Floor Conference Room
- Details: Vladimir J. Kefalov, PhD, investigates how rod and cone photoreceptors function, adapt to light and dark, and degenerate in disease. His lab explores phototransduction, calcium signaling, and the visual cycle (especially chromophore turnover) in healthy and mutant retinas. In recent high-impact work, he and colleagues published a comprehensive review on the retina-based visual cycle, highlighting how Müller glia supplement the canonical RPE pathway to regenerate cone pigments rapidly and sustain daylight vision.
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) 2026 Annual Meeting
- When: May 3-7, 2026
- Where: Denver, CO
- Details: Every year, Doheny and Stein Eye Institute scientists and clinicians are selected to share their latest research findings and insights at the ARVO Annual Meeting, the world’s largest gathering for eye and vision scientists, clinicians, and students. We also look forward to hosting the annual Doheny and UCLA Stein Eye Institutes Alumni Reception to reconnect with alumni and research colleagues from around the world.
For more information, please visit doheny.org in the coming months.
Giulia Corradetti, MD, Selected for Prestigious Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Women’s Leadership Development Program
We are pleased to announce that Giulia Corradetti, MD, was selected for the 2026–2027 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Women’s Leadership Development Program. Established in 2016, this highly interactive, year-long experience is designed to strengthen leadership skills and expand opportunities for professional growth within ARVO.
The prestigious program accepts only a small cohort of early- to mid-career female scientists each year, along with their mentors, making this a meaningful and competitive honor. Dr. Corradetti’s selection reflects her rising impact in vision science at Doheny Eye Institute and globally, giving her access to advanced leadership training, national networking, and mentorship that will further elevate her work.
We are eager to see Dr. Corradetti’s continued contributions to vision research!
Voting Opens Soon for the Annual US News & World Report Ranking of Best U.S. Hospitals for Ophthalmology
For more than a decade, Doheny and UCLA Stein Eye Institutes have together ranked in the Top 5 Ophthalmology Hospitals by US News & World Report. This ranking is a direct result of feedback from ophthalmology specialists, who every year are asked to recommend the best ophthalmology hospitals in the U.S.
The voting period will soon open for the 2026-2027 rankings, and we encourage ophthalmologists who meet the eligibility criteria to consider placing a vote at this link.
