Research Labs and Branches

NEI scientists are part of the National Institutes of Health Intramural Research Program (IRP). With 1,200 Principal Investigators and more than 4,000 Postdoctoral Fellows conducting basic, translational, and clinical research, the IRP is the largest biomedical research institution in the world. 

The Office of the Scientific Director supports basic, translational, and clinical research within the Division of Intramural Research that is carried out by fellows and students, staff scientists, and scientific support staff in various research disciplines. We are NEI Intramural.

NEI runs clinical studies related to ocular health at the NIH Clinical Center.

• Office of the Clinical Director
• Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications
• Unit on Clinical Investigation of Retinal Disease

Research groups within the Laboratory of Immunology study ocular immunity, the microbiome of the eye, and how the immune system can be harnessed to improve eye health.

• Clinical and Translational Immunology Section
• Experimental Immunology Section
• Immunoregulation Section
• Molecular Immunology Section

Research within the Laboratory of Retinal Cell and Molecular Biology focuses on the basic biological mechanisms of vision, including molecular and cellular pathways within the eye.

• Molecular Mechanisms Section
• Section on Protein Structure and Function
• Section on Retinal Ganglion Cell Biology

The Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research studies how the brain interprets information from the eyes, with the goal of identifying novel and more effective therapies for vision loss and visual dysfunction.

• Section on Perception, Cognition, Action
• Thalamocortical Visual Processing Section
• Visual Circuits Section
• Visual Decision Making Section

Research in the Neurobiology Neurodegeneration and Repair Lab explores the role of common and rare genetic variants in the development of degenerative eye diseases.

• Retinal Cell Biology & Degeneration Section
• Retinal Development, Genetics and Therapy Section

Research groups within the Ophthalmic Genetics and Visual Function Branch undertake basic, translational and clinical studies to better understand ocular diseases and develop novel therapies.

• Bioinformatics Group
• Clinical and Translational Imaging Section
• Human Visual Function Core
• Medical Genetics and Ophthalmic Genomics Unit
• Pediatric, Developmental & Genetic Ophthalmology Section
• Protein Biochemistry & Molecular Modeling Group
• Ocular and Stem Cell Translational Research Section
• Ophthalmic Clinical Genetics Section
• Ophthalmic Genomics Laboratory
• Ophthalmic Molecular Genetics Section
• Translational Research Core

Additional laboratories at NEI study the basic biology of the eye, including genetics, physiology, and immunology.

• Neuro-Immune Regulome Unit
• Photoreceptor Physiology Group
• Retinal Neurophysiology Section
• Section on Molecular Structure and Functional Genomics

• Biological Imaging Core Facility
  • Confocal Microscopy Unit
  • Histology Unit
  • Structural Biology Unit
  • Transmission Electron Microscopy Unit
• EyeGENE (Ophthalmic Disease Genotyping and Phenotyping)
• Flow Cytometry Core Facility
• Genetic Engineering Core
• NEIBank
• Ocular Gene Therapy Core
• Veterinary Research and Resources Section
• Visual Function Core