Dr. Ming Wang's research focuses on four areas:

1. Amniotic contact lens: As the principle investigator of an NIH grant, Dr. Wang has developed the world's first amniotic contact lens which has been shown in the laboratory to reduce scar formation after corneal trauma. In 2001, he cofounded a biotech company, EyeVU, with Vanderbilt to develop and commercialize this technology which promises to revolutionize how surgeons treat patients with corneal injuries worldwide.

2. Refractive surgery and corneal topography: Dr. Wang has become a leader in the field of corneal topography, the mapping of the shape of the eye. He recently edited two textbooks, Corneal Topography in the Wavefront Era, and Irregular Astigmatism: Diagnosis and Treatment. He has collaborated with other authors on the topic of refractive surgery in several other textbooks as well.

3. Corneal dystrophy genetics: Dr. Wang participated in the work that resulted in the identification of the DNA mutations in corneal dystrophies. He was the editor of a book, Corneal Dystrophies and Degenerations, commissioned by the American Academy of Ophthalmology in 2002.

4. Novel eye reconstructive surgeries to restore vision in the blind: Dr. Wang has helped refine the technique of amniotic membrane graft and corneal stem cell transplantation. His current research interest focuses on the development of a new triple-drug immunosuppression therapy which has improved the outcome of stem cell transplantation. He is also interested in combining the precision of the Intralase laser used to create flaps without the blade with Alphacor artificial corneal transplantation. This procedure is an off-label use of the Intralase machine.

Dr. Wang's Thirty years of education and academics

Dr. Ming Wang attended the University of Science and Technology of China from 1978-1982. He received his Ph.D. in laser spectroscopy and completed a post-doctoral fellowship. With publications in the top physics journals, his work on associative ionization and laser spectroscopy opened a new field of study for atomic and molecular collision dynamics.

In 1987, Dr. Wang was accepted by Harvard Medical School and began a four-year M.D. curriculum in the joint Harvard-MIT M.D. program. While at Harvard, he worked with Professor George Church at the Department of Genetics and developed a new in vivo technique for assaying DNA-protein binding. The work was published in Nature (Wang M, and Church GM, Nature, 360:606; 1992). Dr. Wang graduated magna cum laude from Harvard in 1991 and his graduation thesis won the Lamport Prize for the best thesis reporting original research in biomedical sciences.

In 1993, Dr. Wang began a one-year ocular genetics fellowship and a three-year ophthalmology residency at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. He worked with Drs. Larry Donoso, Jerry Shields and Francis Munier of Lausanne Switzerland on the genetics of ocular tumors. His work won the first prize as the "Best paper presented by a resident" at the 1994 Annual Wills Eye Hospital Conference. He also received the Lawrence Award from ARVO in 1995.

In 1996, Dr. Wang became a clinical fellow in corneal and external disease and refractive surgery at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami. He worked with Drs. Scheffer Tseng, William Culbertson, Richard Forster and Khali Hanna. There he studied transplantation of preserved human amniotic membrane to reduce corneal scarring and cell death in rabbits. In addition, he worked with Dr. Francis Munier in characterizing DNA mutations in keratoepithelin in patients with corneal dystrophies.

In 1997, Dr. Wang accepted the post as the founding director of the newly established Vanderbilt Laser Sight Center at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, TN. While there, he helped build one of the most successful academic refractive surgery centers in the US. He was selected by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1998 to serve on the Ophthalmic Device Panel which advises the US government on examination and approval of all ophthalmic technologies.

Dr. Wang's current research focus brings together his expertise in corneal and external disease, laser technology and molecular biology. In 2001, he co-founded EyeVU, a joint venture biotech company. The amniotic contact lens is based on the principle of "tapping the fountain of youth" by taking advantage of the understanding of the environment of the scarless fetal wound-healing process. Development of an amniotic contact lens technology should reduce the incidence of severe vision loss following eye injury.

In 2002, while maintaining his tie with Vanderbilt research, Dr. Wang moved his clinical practice outside the school and founded a new laser vision center, the Wang Vision Institute, in Nashville, TN. In doing so he brought together his years of experience in laser vision correction and corneal wound-healing research. The center is equipped with world-class state-of-the-art technology and is becoming a leader in the field of laser vision correction.

In addition to his work in Nashville, TN, he continues to train other surgeons across the world in China. He has been exposed several times by his almamater, the University of Science and Technology of China. Click here for more information about Dr. Wang activites in China.

Dr. Ming Wang, MD, PhD, Director
Wang Vision Institute, Nashville TN 37203
Ph 615.321.8881 | Fax 615.321.8874

Drwang@wangvisioninstitute.com | www.wangvisioninstitute.com