Symposium shines light on macular degeneration
Photo by Veronica Jauriqui
“Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in the industrial world,” said Carmen A. Puliafito, dean of the Keck School of Medicine, who hosted the program and opened with an introduction about the eye condition. “In California, there are about three million patients who have some degree of macular degeneration.”
According to Puliafito, with the average age of the population in the United States increasing, macular degeneration is a growing public health challenge. “As the general health of individuals improves and their activity levels remain high in advanced age, the inability to read, to drive a car, to recognize faces, which are the three things that macular degeneration steals from patients, is increasingly important,” said Puliafito.
Sharon Hayes, a macular degeneration patient cared for by Puliafito, spoke of her appreciation for treatment aimed at preserving her remaining eyesight. “Dr. Puliafito and so many others are doing everything in their power to find a cure,” said Hayes. “I am so fortunate to be under Dr. Puliafito’s care at a time when medical research is at the brink of being able to restore sight.”
Looking to the future, Puliafito said, “Much is left to be done, particularly in patients with the dry form of macular degeneration. For those patients, stem cell biology and the translation of stem cell biology into the clinic offer perhaps the most direct path to a cure.”
Martin Pera, director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC, and David Hinton, professor of pathology at the Keck School of Medicine, discussed advances in stem cell research related to macular degeneration.
Mark Humayun, professor of ophthalmology, cell and neurobiology, and biomedical engineering, concluded with a presentation on the clinical applications of stem cell research in macular degeneration. He discussed the new minimally invasive approach to treating this condition, which is a faster and safer procedure when compared to other surgical options.
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The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
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