Welcome to the Iwata Lab homepage, the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology at National Institute of Sensory Organs, National Hospital Organization (NHO) Tokyo Medical Center. This division focus on the molecular mechanisms of disease-onset for various retinal and optic neural diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, inherited glaucoma, inherited optic neuropathy and inherited retinal diseases. Novel therapeutics has been developed based on information from these disease-onset molecular mechanisms. Iwata Lab has identified and characterized number of novel disease-causing gene including RP1L1, CCT2, C21orf2, LRRTM4, MCAT and METTL23. Characterization of mutant protein, use of patient iPS cells differentiating to retinal and neural cells, generating knock-in/out disease animal models has helped to understand the patient phenotype. Data center developed to collect and analyze short and long-read whole genome sequence of patients is aiming to identify all mutations for Japanese population. Iwata Lab has initiated launch of Japan Eye Genetics Consortium (JEGC) to target 36 different inherited eye diseases in Japanese population and Global Eye Genetics Consortium (GEGC) to further expand the study through global collaborations.