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J. Martin Heur, MD, PhD

Photo of J. Martin Heur, MD, PhD
Title(s)Chair, Department of Ophthalmology
SchoolKeck School of Medicine of Usc
AddressHC4 4900 1450 San Pablo Street
Health Sciences Campus
Los Angeles CA 90033-6103
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    Other Positions
    Title(s)Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology

    Title(s)Grace and Emery Beardsley Professor of Ophthalmology

    Title(s)Co-Director, USC Roski Eye Institute – Los Angeles


    Collapse Biography 
    Collapse education and training
    Xavier University, Cincinnati, OHBS1995Natural Sciences, Mathematics
    University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OHPhD2002Developmental Biology
    University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OHMD2004Medicine
    Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OHResidency2008Ophthalmology
    University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CAFellowship2009Cornea, External Diseases & Refractive Surgery
    Collapse awards and honors
    NIH2002Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) Fellowship
    Alpha Omega Alpha2004Honor Society
    NIH/NEI2011Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (K08)
    ARVO/Alcon2011Early Career Clinician-Scientist Research Career Development Award
    RPB2012Career Development Award
    20162015-2016 Best Doctors in America

    Collapse Overview 
    Collapse overview
    J. Martin Heur, MD, PhD, received MD and PhD degrees from the Physician Scientist Training Program at University of Cincinnati College of Medicine where he was awarded an NIH Medical Scientist Training Program fellowship. He completed residency training at Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic, followed by a fellowship in Cornea and External Disease and Refractive Surgery at the University of Southern California. Dr. Heur’s research was previously supported by grants from the National Eye Institute, Research to Prevent Blindness, Baxter Foundation, Fight for Sight, and Knight Templar Eye Foundation.

    Dr. Heur’s research focuses on investigation of molecular mechanisms of corneal endothelial wound healing utilizing zebrafish and corneal endothelial cell lines as model systems.
    Collapse webpage

    Collapse Research 
    Collapse research activities and funding
    Release of Cell Cycle Arrest in Human Corneal Endothelial Cells
    Research to Prevent Blindness Career Development AwardJan 1, 2013 - Dec 31, 2016
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Regulatory Pathways in Specification of Neural Crest Cells into Corneal Endothelial Cells
    Donald E. & Dalia B. Baxter Foundation FellowshipSep 1, 2011 - Aug 31, 2012
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Zebrafish Model of Human Corneal Development and Disease
    NIH/NEI K08EY021485May 1, 2011 - Apr 30, 2016
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Characterization of Zebrafish Cornea
    Fight For Sight Grant In AidSep 1, 2010 - Aug 31, 2011
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Characterization of Zebrafish Anterior Segment
    Knights Templar Eye Foundation Pediatric Ophthalmology GrantJul 1, 2010 - Jun 30, 2011
    Role: Principal Investigator
    A Novel Accommodative Lens
    American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery GrantJul 1, 2007 - Jun 30, 2008
    Role: Principal Investigator

    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse selected publications
    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Researchers can login to make corrections and additions, or contact us for help. to make corrections and additions.
    Newest   |   Oldest   |   Most Cited   |   Most Discussed   |   Timeline   |   Field Summary   |   Plain Text
    Altmetrics Details PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
    1. Cell Free Regenerative Extracellular Vesicle Therapy for Ocular Diseases. Curr Eye Res. 2025 Dec; 50(12):1297-1311. Tseng AM, Kandoi S, Heur M, Lee SY. PMID: 41193438; PMCID: PMC12710449.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    2. Small Extracellular Vesicle-Mediated Peptide Delivery to the Mouse Corneal Endothelium In Vivo. Ophthalmol Sci. 2026 Jan; 6(1):100900. Lee J, Lee SY, Pollalis D, Heur M. PMID: 41049108; PMCID: PMC12494837.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    3. Sustained descemetocele management with Prosthetic Replacement of the Ocular Surface Ecosystem (PROSE) treatment. Am J Ophthalmol Case Rep. 2024 Dec; 36:102092. Tseng AM, Heur M, Chiu GB. PMID: 39036656; PMCID: PMC11260373.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    4. Second harmonic generation microscopy of electromechanical reshaping on corneal collagen. Exp Eye Res. 2024 Jul; 244:109941. Dilley KK, Prasad KR, Nguyen TV, Stokolosa A, Borden PA, Heur JM, Kim S, Hill MG, Wong BJF. PMID: 38782177.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    Translation:Animals
    5. Spatiotemporal gene targeting in the mouse corneal endothelium. Taiwan J Ophthalmol. 2023; 13(1):28-33. Lee J, Heur M. PMID: 37252171; PMCID: PMC10220442.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    6. Use of Bowman's membrane electrocautery in blind eyes with painful bullous keratopathy not amenable to corneal transplantation: a retrospective case series. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2022 Jan; 260(1):191-196. Voss K, Yim CK, Nguyen A, Roozbahani M, Heur M. PMID: 34453605.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    7. Tear Proteases and Protease Inhibitors: Potential Biomarkers and Disease Drivers in Ocular Surface Disease. Eye Contact Lens. 2020 Mar; 46 Suppl 2:S70-S83. Fu R, Klinngam W, Heur M, Edman MC, Hamm-Alvarez SF. PMID: 31369467; PMCID: PMC6992486.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 11     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    8. Injury induces endothelial to mesenchymal transition in the mouse corneal endothelium in vivo via FGF2. Mol Vis. 2019; 25:22-34. Lee J, Jung E, Heur M. PMID: 30804659; PMCID: PMC6363638.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 12     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    9. Clusterin from human clinical tear samples: Positive correlation between tear concentration and Schirmer strip test results. Ocul Surf. 2018 10; 16(4):478-486. Yu V, Bhattacharya D, Webster A, Bauskar A, Flowers C, Heur M, Chintala SK, Itakura T, Wilson MR, Barr JT, Jeong S, Wang M, Fini ME. PMID: 30077709; PMCID: PMC6175631.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 11     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    10. Increased Cathepsin S activity associated with decreased protease inhibitory capacity contributes to altered tear proteins in Sjögren's Syndrome patients. Sci Rep. 2018 07 23; 8(1):11044. Edman MC, Janga SR, Meng Z, Bechtold M, Chen AF, Kim C, Naman L, Sarma A, Teekappanavar N, Kim AY, Madrigal S, Singh S, Ortiz E, Christianakis S, Arkfeld DG, Mack WJ, Heur M, Stohl W, Hamm-Alvarez SF. PMID: 30038391; PMCID: PMC6056496.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 33     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimals
    11. Fibroblast growth factor 2 induces proliferation and fibrosis via SNAI1-mediated activation of CDK2 and ZEB1 in corneal endothelium. J Biol Chem. 2018 03 09; 293(10):3758-3769. Lee JG, Jung E, Heur M. PMID: 29363574; PMCID: PMC5846169.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 38     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    12. Prosthetic Replacement of the Ocular Surface Ecosystem Scleral Lens Therapy for Exposure Keratopathy. Eye Contact Lens. 2017 Jul; 43(4):240-244. Chahal JS, Heur M, Chiu GB. PMID: 27171131.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 8     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    13. Clusterin Seals the Ocular Surface Barrier in Mouse Dry Eye. PLoS One. 2015; 10(9):e0138958. Bauskar A, Mack WJ, Mauris J, Argüeso P, Heur M, Nagel BA, Kolar GR, Gleave ME, Nakamura T, Kinoshita S, Moradian-Oldak J, Panjwani N, Pflugfelder SC, Wilson MR, Fini ME, Jeong S. PMID: 26402857; PMCID: PMC4581869.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 19     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    14. WNT10B enhances proliferation through β-catenin and RAC1 GTPase in human corneal endothelial cells. J Biol Chem. 2015 Oct 30; 290(44):26752-64. Lee JG, Heur M. PMID: 26370090; PMCID: PMC4646328.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 14     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    15. Lacritin-mediated regeneration of the corneal epithelia by protein polymer nanoparticles. J Mater Chem B. 2014 Dec 14; 2(46):8131-8141. Wang W, Despanie J, Shi P, Edman-Woolcott MC, Lin YA, Cui H, Heur JM, Fini ME, Hamm-Alvarez SF, MacKay JA. PMID: 25530855; PMCID: PMC4270104.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 26     Fields:    
    16. Interleukin-1ß-induced Wnt5a enhances human corneal endothelial cell migration through regulation of Cdc42 and RhoA. Mol Cell Biol. 2014 Sep 15; 34(18):3535-45. Lee JG, Heur M. PMID: 25022753; PMCID: PMC4135619.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 30     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    17. Ocular surface rehabilitation: Application of human amniotic membrane in high-risk penetrating keratoplasties. Saudi J Ophthalmol. 2014 Jul; 28(3):198-202. Nguyen P, Rue K, Heur M, Yiu SC. PMID: 25278797; PMCID: PMC4181454.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 6  
    18. Tear cathepsin S as a candidate biomarker for Sjögren's syndrome. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2014 Jul; 66(7):1872-81. Hamm-Alvarez SF, Janga SR, Edman MC, Madrigal S, Shah M, Frousiakis SE, Renduchintala K, Zhu J, Bricel S, Silka K, Bach D, Heur M, Christianakis S, Arkfeld DG, Irvine J, Mack WJ, Stohl W. PMID: 24644101; PMCID: PMC4077975.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 69     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimals
    19. Prosthetic Replacement of the Ocular Surface Ecosystem (PROSE) scleral lens for Salzmann's nodular degeneration. Saudi J Ophthalmol. 2014 Jul; 28(3):203-6. Chiu GB, Bach D, Theophanous C, Heur M. PMID: 25278798; PMCID: PMC4181437.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 5  
    20. Prosthetic replacement of the ocular surface ecosystem scleral lens therapy for patients with ocular symptoms of chronic Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Am J Ophthalmol. 2014 Jul; 158(1):49-54. Heur M, Bach D, Theophanous C, Chiu GB. PMID: 24699156.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 14     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    21. Functional and visual improvement with prosthetic replacement of the ocular surface ecosystem scleral lenses for irregular corneas. Cornea. 2013 Dec; 32(12):1540-3. Lee JC, Chiu GB, Bach D, Bababeygy SR, Irvine J, Heur M. PMID: 24145631.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 12     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    22. Sources of structural autofluorescence in the human trabecular meshwork. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013 Jul 18; 54(7):4813-20. Huang AS, Gonzalez JM, Le PV, Heur M, Tan JC. PMID: 23745000; PMCID: PMC3720147.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 13     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    23. Interleukin-1ß enhances cell migration through AP-1 and NF-?B pathway-dependent FGF2 expression in human corneal endothelial cells. Biol Cell. 2013 Apr; 105(4):175-89. Lee JG, Heur M. PMID: 23331079; PMCID: PMC3618530.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 25     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    24. Descemet stripping with automated endothelial keratoplasty: A comparative study of outcome in patients with preexisting glaucoma. Saudi J Ophthalmol. 2013 Apr; 27(2):73-8. Nguyen P, Khashabi S, Chopra V, Francis B, Heur M, Song JC, Yiu SC. PMID: 24227965; PMCID: PMC3809502.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 4  
    25. Two-photon immunofluorescence characterization of the trabecular meshwork in situ. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2012 Jun 05; 53(7):3395-404. Gonzalez JM, Heur M, Tan JC. PMID: 22531697; PMCID: PMC3374625.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 24     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    26. Investigation of femtosecond laser--enabled keratoplasty wound geometry using optical coherence tomography. Cornea. 2011 Aug; 30(8):889-94. Heur M, Tang M, Yiu S, Zhang X, Huang D. PMID: 21389851.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 3     Fields:    Translation:Humans
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