IRRF/Macula Awardees

2023 IRRF/Macula Society Grantees

The International Retinal Research Foundation (IRRF) has partnered with The Macula Society to form The Macula Society/IRRF Award.  The Award is in accordance with the Macula Society’s purpose of providing a forum for the presentation and dissemination of the most current and most advanced scientific information and research in retinal vascular and macular diseases.  This […]

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Charles DeBoer, MD, PhD

2023 Robert Machemer MD and International Retinal Research Foundation Fellowship

Charles DeBoer, MD, PhD Clinical Instructor, Ophthalmology The members of the Board of The Robert Machemer Foundation have awarded the 2023 Robert Machemer MD and International Retinal Research Foundation Fellowship to The Stanford Health Care Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA, to Charles DeBoer, MD, PhD.  Dr. DeBoer is a board-certified, fellowship-trained vitreoretinal […]

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Photo of Joel Jovanovic, PhD

2023 Loris and David Rich Postdoctoral Scholar

Joel Jovanovic, PhD Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Nashville, Tennessee Project Title: The role of microglia-mediated inflammation on the cell fate of proliferating Müller glia following p27Kip1 inactivation and outer retina degeneration in aged mice Joel Jovanovic, PhD has been selected as the 2023 Loris and David Rich Postdoctoral Scholar […]

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Photo of Marco Bassetto, PhD

2023 Charles D. Kelman, MD Postdoctoral Scholar

Marco Bassetto, PhD University of California Irvine, USA PROJECT TITLE: Pharmacological treatment for maculopathies based on oral administration of new visual cycle modulator Dr. Bassetto developed his PhD in the field of ocular drug delivery. His early research aimed at establishing methods to enhance permeation of therapeutics within the eye after non-invasive, topical application. Most […]

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2023 Retina Society/IRRF Awardees

In 2023, 13 grant applications across the spectrum of basic, translational and clinical science were received for consideration for funding by the Research and Education Fund and Grant Awards program.  All were carefully reviewed by a committee consisting of Jason Hsu, Nora Lad, Eric Nudleman, Susanna Park, Yannis Paulus, Charles Wycoff and David Zacks. The 2023 […]

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2023-RPB/IRRF Catalyst Award for Innovative Research Approaches for Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

RESEARCH PROJECT TITLE: Mechanobiology of Choroidal Vascular Loss in Early Age-related Macular Degeneration Kaustabh Ghosh, PhD Associate Professor of Ophthalmology David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA Doheny Eye Institute Dr. Ghosh will study how the blood vessels in the outer retina (choroidal vessels) degenerate early on in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Dr. Ghosh recently discovered […]

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Photo of Dr. Pieter Leenen, Dr. Mahanz Shariatzadeh and Willem Dik, PhD

Aberration in myeloid-derived pro-angiogenic cells in type-2 diabetes mellitus; implication for diabetic retinopathy?

PROJECT TITLE: Aberration in myeloid-derived pro-angiogenic cells in type-2 diabetes mellitus; implication for diabetic retinopathy? Mahnaz Shariatzadeh1, Trishka R.R. Binda1, Conny van Holten-Neelen2, Josianne C. ten Berge2, Jose P. Martinez Ciriano4, King T. Wong4, Willem A. Dik2 and Pieter J.M. Leenen2 1Department of Immunology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands.  2Department of Immunology, Erasmus University […]

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Photo of Ivan Conte, PhD in lab

Ubiquitylation of BBSome is required for ciliary assembly and signaling

PROJECT TITLE: Ubiquitylation of BBSome is required for ciliary assembly and signaling. Francesco Chiuso, Rossella delle Donne, Giuliana Giamundo, Laura Rinaldi, Domenica Borzacchiello, Federica Moraca, Daniela Intartaglia, Rosa Iannuci, Emanuela Senatore, Luca Lignitto, Carrodo Garbi, Paolo Conflitti, Bruno Catalanotti, Ivan Conte, & Antonio Feliciello ABSTRACT: Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a ciliopathy characterized by retinal degeneration, […]

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