J. Martin Heur, MD, PhD

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.

• 2015-2016 Best Doctors in America, 2016
• RPB: Career Development Award, 2012
• NIH/NEI: Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (K08), 2011
• ARVO/Alcon: Early Career Clinician-Scientist Research Career Development Award, 2011
• Alpha Omega Alpha: Honor Society, 2004
• NIH: Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) Fellowship, 2002

• Small Extracellular Vesicle-Mediated Peptide Delivery to the Mouse Corneal Endothelium In Vivo. Ophthalmol Sci. 2026 Jan; 6(1):100900.. View in PubMed
• Cell Free Regenerative Extracellular Vesicle Therapy for Ocular Diseases. Curr Eye Res. 2025 Dec; 50(12):1297-1311.. View in PubMed
• Sustained descemetocele management with Prosthetic Replacement of the Ocular Surface Ecosystem (PROSE) treatment. Am J Ophthalmol Case Rep. 2024 Dec; 36:102092.. View in PubMed
• Second harmonic generation microscopy of electromechanical reshaping on corneal collagen. Exp Eye Res. 2024 Jul; 244:109941.. View in PubMed
• Spatiotemporal gene targeting in the mouse corneal endothelium. Taiwan J Ophthalmol. 2023; 13(1):28-33.. View in PubMed
• 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.. View in PubMed
• Tear Proteases and Protease Inhibitors: Potential Biomarkers and Disease Drivers in Ocular Surface Disease. Eye Contact Lens. 2020 Mar; 46 Suppl 2:S70-S83.. View in PubMed
• Injury induces endothelial to mesenchymal transition in the mouse corneal endothelium in vivo via FGF2. Mol Vis. 2019; 25:22-34.. View in PubMed
• Clusterin from human clinical tear samples: Positive correlation between tear concentration and Schirmer strip test results. Ocul Surf. 2018 10; 16(4):478-486.. View in PubMed
• 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.. View in PubMed
• 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.. View in PubMed
• Prosthetic Replacement of the Ocular Surface Ecosystem Scleral Lens Therapy for Exposure Keratopathy. Eye Contact Lens. 2017 Jul; 43(4):240-244.. View in PubMed
• WNT10B enhances proliferation through β-catenin and RAC1 GTPase in human corneal endothelial cells. J Biol Chem. 2015 Oct 30; 290(44):26752-64.. View in PubMed
• Clusterin Seals the Ocular Surface Barrier in Mouse Dry Eye. PLoS One. 2015; 10(9):e0138958.. View in PubMed
• Lacritin-mediated regeneration of the corneal epithelia by protein polymer nanoparticles. J Mater Chem B. 2014 Dec 14; 2(46):8131-8141.. View in PubMed
• 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.. View in PubMed
• Ocular surface rehabilitation: Application of human amniotic membrane in high-risk penetrating keratoplasties. Saudi J Ophthalmol. 2014 Jul; 28(3):198-202.. View in PubMed
• Tear cathepsin S as a candidate biomarker for Sjögren’s syndrome. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2014 Jul; 66(7):1872-81.. View in PubMed
• Prosthetic Replacement of the Ocular Surface Ecosystem (PROSE) scleral lens for Salzmann’s nodular degeneration. Saudi J Ophthalmol. 2014 Jul; 28(3):203-6.. View in PubMed
• 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.. View in PubMed
• Functional and visual improvement with prosthetic replacement of the ocular surface ecosystem scleral lenses for irregular corneas. Cornea. 2013 Dec; 32(12):1540-3.. View in PubMed
• Sources of structural autofluorescence in the human trabecular meshwork. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013 Jul 18; 54(7):4813-20.. View in PubMed
• 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.. View in PubMed
• 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.. View in PubMed
• Two-photon immunofluorescence characterization of the trabecular meshwork in situ. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2012 Jun 05; 53(7):3395-404.. View in PubMed
• Investigation of femtosecond laser–enabled keratoplasty wound geometry using optical coherence tomography. Cornea. 2011 Aug; 30(8):889-94.. View in PubMed

• Chiu, Gloria
• Worswick, Scott
• Garner, Warren
• Merrill-Brugger, Amy
• Hamm-Alvarez, Sarah