Photobiomodulation Therapy in Eye Disease
Hosted By: Photobiomodulation Technical Group
25 May 2021 12:00 - 13:00
Eastern Time (US & Canada) (UTC -05:00)Join the Photobiomodulation Technical Group for this webinar with Janis Eells (University of Wisconsin Milwaukee) focused on the use of photobiomodulation therapy in eye disease. Photobiomodulation (PBM) by far-red (FR) to near-infrared (NIR) light improves mitochondrial bioenergetics and cellular function. PBM has been applied clinically in the treatment of soft tissue injuries and inflammation for more than 50 years. The therapeutic effects of PBM have been hypothesized to result from intracellular signaling pathways triggered when FR/NIR photons are absorbed by the mitochondrial photoacceptor molecule, cytochrome c oxidase, culminating in improved mitochondrial bioenergetics and cytoprotection. Experimental and clinical studies have documented the therapeutic potential of PBM in retinal injury and disease. Investigations in rodent models of retinal injury and retinal degenerative diseases have documented that PBM protects against the loss of retinal function. Moreover, an increasing number of clinical investigations also support the therapeutic efficacy of FR/NIR PBM in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.
Subject Matter Level:
- Introductory - Assumes little previous knowledge of the topic
What You Will Learn:
- To appreciate the non-surgical, non-thermal applications of light that PBM treatments represent
- Learn about the molecular mechanisms of PBM
Who Should Attend:
- Researchers in ocular and retinal biology
- Clinicians interested in therapeutic light applications
- Biophotonics device makers interested in new applications and R&D for PBM
About the Presenter: Janis T. Eells, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
Dr. Janis T. Eells received her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Iowa, conducted postdoctoral research at Northwestern University and served on the faculty of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She is currently Professor of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Dr. Eells and her colleagues have shown that low-energy irradiation by far-red to near-infrared light, collectively termed photobiomodulation (PBM), restores the function of damaged mitochondria, up-regulates the production of cytoprotective factors, and prevents cell death. Investigations by Dr. Eells and her colleagues have demonstrated beneficial effects in animal models of retinal degeneration. Recent translational studies have documented clinical benefits in age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Dr. Eells holds two U.S. patents related to the use of PBM as a treatment for visual disease or injury.
