Ocular tissues for vision health research
Funded between 2011-2015 (Lucie Germain) and since 2015 (Stéphanie Proulx)
Goal
This infrastructure delivers biological material necessary for several research projects to Vision Health Research Network investigators (VHRN).
Description
Héma-Québec is the organism in charge obtaining consent and retrieving donor eyes for patient treatment or for research. In Quebec city, donor eyes are sent to the eye bank of the “Centre Universitaire d’Ophtal- mologie” (CUO) of Saint-Sacrement hospital. Technicians at the eye bank evaluate the quality of the tissues. Those unfit for graft are transferred to the infrastructure where the coordinator encodes samples prior to their distribution.
Impact
Between 2012 and 2018, 28 fundamental investigators, clinical investigators and collaborators supported by 64 students, trainees and laboratory assistants used this infrastructure to move forward their projects. Since 2012, results from those projects generated 24 scientific publications and 269 presentations. The infrastructure helped VHRN investigators obtain more than 5 million dollars in grants from many organisms (CIHR, NSERC, Foundations, etc.). These grants allowed recruitment and formation of highly qualified personnel. Last year (January 2018 to December 2018), 164 corneas and 153 eyes transited through the infrastructure.
Accessibility
This infrastructure is available for all investigators that are members of the VHRN. Many original projects have been elaborated thanks to the human ocular tissues provided by this infrastructure. These projects will advance our knowledge in vision health. A better understanding of eye functions will lead to new treatments for eye diseases.
Infrastructure administrator
Stéphanie Proulx, Ph.D, Regular researcher in the Regenerative medicine axis, Hôpital Saint-Sacrement, Assistant professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval
Contact information
Kelly Coutant – kelly.coutant.1@ulaval.ca
Pascale Charpentier : pascale.charpentier.2@ulaval.ca
Christelle Gross : christelle.gross.1@ulaval.ca
Source de financement
Réseau de recherche en santé de la vision