We examined EphA2's ability to signal canonically via receptor-ligand interaction and non-canonically via ligand-independent binding. Non-canonical EphA2 signaling is typically associated with cancerous cells or tissues.

Congrats Jenna, Michael, Jackson, and Isaiah on the new article; Jenna and Isaiah's first with the lab! Of note, our data is the first showing that non-canonical EphA2 signaling is active in normal lenses, and our results suggest a physiological function.

Happy Birthday to Gryffin! Glad we were able to fit in a birthday lunch amidst all the work and study!

Dr. Cheng's chapter on Lens Structure is now available digitally, ahead of the full Encyclopedia of the Eye, 2nd Edition's physical print. Contact our lab (ckcheng@iu.edu or mpvu@iu.edu) to get a digital copy of the chapter!

We recently had Dr. Yuka Okada visit us for some research and some fun! Thanks for coming Yuka, we'll see you again soon!

The lab was able to celebrate Peter's birthday recently with a fun lunch! Happy Birthday Peter!

This review highlights recent work uncovering mechanisms influencing lens stiffness & elasticity that may serve as novel pharmaceutical targets for treating, delaying, and/or preventing presbyopia.

Read our new review on tissue, cellular, & molecular factors for lens biomechanics in @FrontOphthalmol! Increased lens stiffness & decreased elasticity are long believed to contribute age-related loss of accommodation, presbyopia, & thus reading glasses.

RT @NAEVRAdvocacy: Vision loss and blindness have a profound and far-reaching impact on individuals, their families, caregivers, and societ….

Very excited to share that Gryffin Flowers was awarded a scholarship from @IU_Optometry to pursue his M.S. degree alongside his O.D.! His research project investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms affecting eye lens biomechanical properties. Way to go, Gryffin!

Dr. Chiang presented new NEI projects and initiatives for data gathering, storage, and sharing. He also took time to congratulate the student award winners. Thank you IU Ophthalmology, in the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Eye Institute for hosting this wonderful research meeting!.

Congrats to Jenna Horner & Gryffin Flowers on earning best talk and best poster awards at Heartland Vision Research Symposium 2024! HVRS highlights innovative vision research from the US heartland, this year, the keynote was Dr. Michael Chiang, @NEIDirector.

With some cooperation from the weather, we were able to celebrate Jenna's birthday!

Take a look at @PeterTheHuynh first article with our lab where he further narrows the list of potential EphA2 and ephrin-A5 binding partners within the lens! This opens the way for more effective and informative protein work within the lens! Have a read: 

At #ARVO2024, Dr. Catherine Cheng handed over the position as ARVO AMPC chair to Dr. Xingjun Fan and welcomed the newest LE section member, Dr. Janice Walker! Thanks to everyone on the ARVO Annual Meeting Program Committee for their contributions to make the meeting successful!

Also at #ARVO2024, Michael presented a poster and moderated a poster session! His first attendance at ARVO was lots of fun as can be seen in the photo with Dr. Chia-Yang Liu, Dr. Yuka Okada, and Dr. Cheng!

Congratulations Gryffin! We're excited to have you in the lab over the summer!

The symposium title is "Innovative approaches for harnessing novel small and biomolecules for the treatment of eye diseases". Thanks to Dr(s). Connie Tam, Catherine Cheng, @LauraEnsignPhD , Martin Friedlander, Raghu Krishnamoorthy, @stankowskalab, Ram H. Nagaraj, Peter F. Kador.

The Thursday #ARVO2024 symposium, organized and moderated by Dr(s). @stankowskalab and Catherine Cheng, was abundant with great ideas and science! Thank you to the presenters and the attendees for the insightful discussion on biomolecules and drug delivery to the eye!

Thank you for the great presentations at this session ("Biomechanical properties of normal, aging, and pathological eye tissues"): Dr(s). Kirill Larin, Giuliano Scarcelli, Catherine Cheng, C. Ross Ethier, and Christine Frances Wildsoet!.