100 Moments

10:10 10.10: Anatomy of a Moment

Cole Eye Institute 
Cleveland Clinic main campus

Cleveland
10:10 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time

Liquid shimmers at the tip of the pipette as a steady hand guides it toward a tiny well, only 3 millimeters long. The hope is that genotyping animal models will help us better understand age-related macular degeneration in humans. Each sample carries genetic code that could unlock why some people lose their vision as they grow older. 

Another time, another place. Jess Altemus was in high school when her passion for science was ignited. She remembers it well: a lesson about DNA isolation in biology class. “This is amazing,” she thought. “I need to do this in my life.” 

Jess is a principal research technologist in the lab of Bela Anand-Apte, MBBS, PhD, chair of ophthalmic research at the Cole Eye Institute and holder of the Llura and Gordon Gund Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology Research. 

When it comes to the impact of their work, Jess takes the long view. “Every experiment we do could lead to improving people’s lives,” she says. “With basic research, it might be years down the road, but somebody has to build the base.” 

Mentoring lab trainees also fills her with hope for the future. “If you’re not asking questions, you’re probably not listening to me,” she tells them. “I’m here to make you better scientists.” 

The pipette steadies. Another sample. Another step toward healing.

Photograph by Derryl Strong