Mark S. Humayun

Mark S. Humayun is a Pakistani-American ophthalmologist, engineer, scientist, inventor and academic – the only ophthalmologist elected a member of both U.S. National Academies of Medicine and Engineering.[1][2] He is a university professor with joint appointments at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.[3]

Mark S. Humayun
Known forCo-inventing the Argus Series retina implants
Medical career
ProfessionOphthalmologist, Engineer, Scientist and Inventor
InstitutionsUSC Eye Institute

In 2011, Humayun was elected as a member into the National Academy of Engineering for contributions to development and clinical implementation of the visual prosthesis for restoration of sight.

Humayun was named a recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2015 and received the award from U.S. President Barack Obama in 2016.[4] The award recognizes "those who have made lasting contributions to America’s competitiveness and quality of life and helped strengthen the Nation’s technological workforce.[5]" Humayun co-invented the Argus Series retina implants, which are manufactured by Second Sight, and are intended to restore sight to the blind.[6] The Argus Series implants were named by Time Magazine among the top 10 inventions of 2013.[7]

He has more than 100 patents and patent applications,[8] and was nominated by R&D Magazine as Innovator of the Year in 2005.[9][10] He was recently nominated to the National Academy of Inventors, the highest professional distinction accorded to academic inventors.

Humayun was named director of the USC Institute of Biomedical Therapeutics (IBT) in 2012,[11] director of the National Science Foundation BioMimetic MicroElectronic Systems Engineering Research Center,[12] and director of the Department of Energy Artificial Retina Project.[13] He was also inaugural director of the USC Eye Institute and interim chair of the USC Department of Ophthalmology.[14]

Personal life

Humayun saw his own grandmother lose her vision while in medical school, which motivated him to switch his medical specialty to ophthalmology and specifically innovative research.[15]

Humayun's paternal grandfather was Lt. Col. Dr Ilahi Bakhsh, the personal physician of Muhammad Ali Jinnah (one of his ancestors took the same role for the ruler of Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh), while his maternal grandfather was Aslam Khattak who served as Governor of the North-West Frontier Province (1973-1974) under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.[16]

Education

Humayun received his B.S. from Georgetown University in 1984, his M.D. from Duke University in 1989, and his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 1994.[17] He completed his ophthalmology residency at Duke Eye Center and fellowships in both vitreoretinal and retinovascular surgery at the Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He stayed on as faculty at Johns Hopkins where he rose to the rank of associate professor before moving to USC in 2001.

Career

Humayun is a clinician-researcher at the University of Southern California (USC) Eye Institute,[18] and a professor of ophthalmology and biomedical engineering for the Keck School of Medicine of USC and USC Viterbi School of Engineering. He holds the Cornelius J. Pings Chair in Biomedical Sciences. He was named Professor of Ophthalmology, Biomedical Engineering, Cell and Neurobiology in 2001. He served as Interim Chair, Department of Ophthalmology, in 2013. He was named Inaugural Director of the USC Eye Institute in 2013. He was named Director of the USC Sensory Science Institute in 2013.

Humayun has served as a Visiting Associate in Medical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology since 2014.[19]

He serves on the board of directors for the American Society of Retina Specialists,[20] and the Board of Directors of Replenish, Inc.[21]

Research

Humayun's research projects[22] focus on the treatment of debilitating eye diseases through advanced engineering.

Argus II retinal prosthesis

Humayun co-invented the Argus II retinal prosthesis,[23] a retinal implant designed to help patients with genetic retinitis pigmentosa.[24][25] More than 30 clinical trial participants in Argus II trial launched in 2007 at sites in the U.S. and Europe. It was approved by the FDA in February 2013.[26] The first USC Eye Institute patient received the implant post-FDA approval in June 2014,[27] and saw light one week following activation of device.

Stem cell research

Humayun is one of two principal investigators working with USC Eye Institute researchers to study how to replace damaged retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells with stem cells to restore sight,[28] a potential cure for age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of permanent impairment of reading and fine or close-up vision among people aged 65 years and older.[29] This research is funded by a grant from California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

References
  1. Lewit, Meghan (October 23, 2009). "Humayun Elected to Institute of Medicine". Keck School of Medicine of USC. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  2. "Keck School Faculty Honored by National Academy of Engineering". Keck School of Medicine of USC. February 16, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  3. "Biomed Miracle Workers". USC Trojan Family. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  4. "National Science and Technology Medals Foundation". nationalmedals.org. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016.
  5. "President Obama to Honor Nation's Leading Scientists and Innovators". whitehouse.gov. December 22, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2016 – via National Archives.
  6. "Humayun named first director of USC Eye Institute". Keck Medicine of USC. November 14, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  7. "The 25 Best Inventions of the Year 2013". Time. November 13, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  8. "Patents by Inventor Mark Humayun". JUSTIA Patents. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  9. "USC researcher Mark Humayun wins 2005 R&D Innovator of the Year Award". USC Bioelectronics Research Lab. October 20, 2005. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  10. Derra, Skip (August 12, 2005). "Bringing Sight to the Blind". R&D Magazine. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  11. "Biomed Miracle Workers". USC Trojan Family. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  12. "An Engineering Research Center for Biomimetic Microelectronic Systems". National Science Foundation. September 24, 2003. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  13. "Overview of the Artificial Retina Project". Artificial Retina Project. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  14. "Humayun named first director of USC Eye Institute". Keck Medicine of USC. November 14, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  15. Gross, Rachel (August 31, 2014). "A Bionic Eye That Restores Sight". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  16. Niaz, Anjum (February 28, 2016). "The man who invented the 'bionic eye'". Dawn News. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  17. "Mark S. Humayun, MD, PhD". Keck Medicine of USC. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  18. "About USC Eye Institute". USC Eye Institute. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  19. "Update on Argus II Retinal Prosthesis Study". Caltech Division of Engineering & Applied Science. March 13, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  20. "ASRS Board of Directors". American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS). Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  21. "Leadership Team". Replenish, Inc. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  22. "Mark S. Humayun". Keck Medicine of USC. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  23. "Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System - H110002". U.S. Food and Drug Administration. February 13, 2013. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  24. "Seeing is Believing: USC Eye Institute's retinal prosthesis gives blind woman the gift of sight". YouTube. August 29, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  25. Gross, Rachel (August 31, 2014). "A Bionic Eye That Restores Sight". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  26. "Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System - H110002". U.S. Food and Drug Administration. February 13, 2013. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  27. "USC Eye Institute ophthalmologists implant first FDA-approved Argus II retinal prosthesis in western United States". Keck Medicine of USC. August 27, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  28. Lytal, Cristy (July 3, 2014). "Mark Humayun and David Hinton look to stem cells to bring sight to the blind". USC Stem Cell. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  29. "Common Eye Disorders". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
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