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In the NoCo
In The NoCo

How an ambitious project led by CU-Anschutz researchers could revolutionize eye transplants

By In The NoCo,
Ariel Lavery, Erin O'Toole
Published December 17, 2024 at 7:11 AM MST
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Dr Kia Washington, Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Mark Bolster-Photographer
Dr Kia Washington leads a team at the University of Colorado Boulder's Anschutz Medical Campus that was recently awarded up to $46 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to pursue research in eye transplantation for the restoration of vision. She as called the research a "moonshot."

Eye doctors today perform surgeries that would have seemed unthinkable a century or two ago. They can remove cataracts, correct someone鈥檚 vision with Lasik surgery, or do a cornea transplant to relieve pain or restore someone鈥檚 sight.

But one procedure they can鈥檛 do at the moment is a full eye transplant for vision restoration. And that prevents doctors from treating some more serious eye conditions.

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus want to change that. A team there was recently to figure out how to make successful eye transplants a medical reality.

is leading the team鈥檚 research. And she refers to the project as a 鈥渕oonshot.鈥�

Host Erin O鈥橳oole spoke with Washington about what makes eye transplantation so complex, and why this research could create huge advances in eye medicine.

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In The NoCo SurgeryResearchUniversity of Colorado Hospital Anschutz CampusScience
In The NoCo
KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.
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Ariel Lavery
Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University鈥檚 NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family鈥檚 financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.
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Erin O'Toole
As the host of KUNC鈥檚 new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.
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