Michael Stern, Ph.D.

Chief Scientific Officer

ImmunEyez, LLC.

   &

Adjunct Associate Professor

Department of Ophthalmology

Baylor College of Medicine

“Pathophysiology of Dry Eye:  An Immune Based Inflammation”

Dry Eye (Kerato Conjunctivitis Sicca) is a disease of the ocular surface.  It is chronic inflammatory disease characterized by pain, decreased visual acuity and a significant decrease in quality of life. Research by our laboratory and a few others have served to define Dry Eye as an immune-based inflammation of the Lacrimal Functional Unit. I will be discussing the nature of this disease and the immunology which leads to its development and progression.  The role of various T-cell populations as well as B-cell and T-regulatory cells will also be demonstrated. Finally the activity of Dendritic Cells will be included. There will also be some discussion of the roles and activities of various therapeutics.

Michael E. Stern received his BS in Biology from Purdue in 1975. Following that he received his MS and PhD from the Medical College of Wisconsin, Department of Physiology (1982) under Dr. Henry Edelhauser. The next seven years were spent at Alcon Labs. in Fort Worth, Texas where he worked in the Department of Toxicology developing models of corneal wound healing.  In 1989 he moved to Allergan, Inc. in Irvine California in the Department of Biological Sciences where he focussed on the pathophysiology of dry eye disease.  Dr. Stern led an effort at Allergan elucidating the pathophysiology of Dry Eye. This laboratory was key in defining this disease as an immune based inflammation of the Lacrimal Functional Unit.  Further research defined the role of T-helper cells, T-regulatory cells, Dendritic Cells and B-cells in the initiation and maintenance of this chronic immune pathology.

Additionally, Dr. Stern’s laboratory helped to define the role of cyclosporine as a therapeutic in this T-cell based disease.

Dr. Stern has over 100 publications and 300 abstracts. He co-edited, along with Dr. Steven Pflugfelder And Dr. Roger Beuerman, and wrote several chapters in a book: Dry Eye and Ocular Surface Disorders (2004). He is on the editorial board of three publications: The Ocular Surface, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science and The Journal of Ocular Pharmaceutics and Therapeutics.  He is a Gold level Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).  He is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine and Co-Director of Ocular Immunology at IOBA, University of Valladolid, Spain.  He was awarded the Diaz-Caneja Award in Spain and gave the Award Lecture at the International Ocular Surface Society.  Additionally, he is Chief Scientific Officer at ImmunEyez, LLC which is focussed on ocular surface therapeutics.  He served on Purdue’s BSAAC (Biological Sciences Alumni Advisory Committee) for nine years.