Algis J Vingrys

I am a professor in our department where I undertake human and small animal research in the three major areas detailed next.Visual Neuroscience.1.Rodent research in visual neuroscience has considered the role of functional defects in Omega-3 fatty acid deficiency. Our group has contributed to much of the contemporary understanding of those factors that are involved in the neural deficits caused by Omega-3 deficiency detailed in  the numerous book chapters on this topic (see pubs). In particular, we have considered the role that these nutrients have to the developing foetus by evaluating the impact of deprivation over the maternal period of gestation. We have shown that foetal programming exists for hypertension (see paper to Nature Medicine) and for visual function and neural growth. More recently I have become involved in developing a better understanding of the consequences of western diets on vision and eye health in terms of glaucoma and dry eye disease. My research has considered aspects of retinal metabolism and the neurovascular link. Diabetic eye disease is well known to cause a vasculopathy but, given that retinal photoreceptors are the most metabolically demanding in the body, it is likely that this metabolic disease should affect their function. We have shown that this is the case. Moreover, recent work has identified the nature of neural changes following ischemic insult where we have established that glutamate gets shunted into the Kreb’s cycle to sustain ATP production to sustain neurons, compromising neural transmission. My diabetic research has lead to the finding that diabetic neuropathy precedes vascular change and that it can be ameliorated by dietary Omega-3 intake and ACE inhibition.  More recently our group has evaluated the neurovascular coupling of retinal ganglion cells and retinal blood flow as well as the role of chronic hypertension and lowered Intra-Cranial Pressure in promoting glaucoma. I believe that the eye is a good model in which to consider neurovascular changes and neuronal compromise in the cortex, being an out-pouching of the brain.  I have worked to elucidate the process of ageing and the development of normal neural responses in neonates. Vision is a good model for ageing as it shows neural changes with age that are easily measured and our group has recently become involved in assaying mitochondrial activity. The initial work that I have performed in his area is to elucidate the changes that occur to an ageing eye that lead to Age-related maculopathy (AMD) and glaucoma. One of our recent publications (Hogg Ophthalmology, 2009) has been the subject of an editorial in the USA press. More recent work has concentrated on factors that control aqueous production and outflow and the response of the ganglion cells to IOP challenge. This work is being led by my colleague Dr Bang Bui and has been the subject of Industry-Linkage grant with Pfizer Australia. The clinical application of this work is enormous as the issues being considered impact on the most common causes of vision loss in elderly Australians.Human behavioural and clinical work have considered human visual disorders using psychophysical methods. This ranges from eye and  brain disorders to common conditions such as migraine and ageing. My work in psychophysics has furthered understanding in human colour and temporal processing.  In particular, I have a track record of bench to bed-side translation. This has lead to novel clinical applications for the early detection of visual disorders where I have been the principle consultant for an Australian optical company (Medmont International) in the development of: an automated perimeter, a colour vision test that makes use of silent substitution, a TV based acuity test.  I have been involved in an international collaboration to apply Baysean methods to speed up clinical testing in a commercial perimeter (Welch Allyn Matrix).  More recently, I am developing an iPAD tablet test with Dr George Kong that can be used for vision evaluation: this has produced a perimeter and an acuity test. I am particularly interested in the self-monitoring aspect of chronic eye and vision loss and have considered these matters with collaborators in migraine (McKendrick, Badcock), AMD (Guymer), Glaucoma (Kong, Crowston, Martin, He) and Neurological disease especially after stroke (Crewther, Wijeratne).I have been PI in multiple (9) clinical trials for industrial organisations.