Investors, NIH excited about FSU biomedical research targeting rare eye disease

Florida State University College of Medicine Professor Michael Blaber has spent years perfecting an artificial human protein for stimulating cell growth while also learning about the equally complex world of venture capitalists. 

Now, with the significant help of the National Institutes of Health and $5.2 million from five investment firms, he is closer to providing relief for an incurable eye condition called Fuchs’ dystrophy. This disorder causes swelling in the cornea that can lead to cloudy vision and general discomfort.