Headshot of Cagri Besirli, MD, PhD

PKM2 metabolic reprogramming to prevent photoreceptor death in a preclinical model of macular degeneration

Project Title:  PKM2 metabolic reprogramming to prevent photoreceptor death in a preclinical model of macular degeneration. Cagri G. Besirli, MD, PhD Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan USA $100,000 for one year Dr. Besirli’s area of practice is gene therapy for inherited retinal diseases.  Other areas include disease and […]

Read More
Headshot of Frans J. Vinberg, PhD

Homeostatic Mechanisms Promoting Retinal Output and Vision During Photoreceptor Degenerative Disease

PROJECT TITLE: Homeostatic Mechanisms Promoting Retinal Output and Vision During Photoreceptor Degenerative Disease Frans J. Vinberg, PhD Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences The Vinberg Laboratory, John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah $99,750 a year for two years Dr. Vinberg works to understand mechanisms in the retina that enable vision over a […]

Read More

Investigating VEGF:VEGFR2 and CXCL8/Interleukin- 8:CXCR1/2 Interactions in Diabetic Retinopathy

PROJECT TITLE: Investigating VEGF:VEGFR2 and CXCL8/Interleukin- 8:CXCR1/2 Interactions in Diabetic Retinopathy Dolly Ann Padovani-Claudio, MD, PhD Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Vanderbilt Eye Institute Nashville, Tennessee, USA $100,000 a year for two years Dr. Padovani-Claudio’s laboratory focuses on finding new treatments for diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of vision loss and blindness. Due […]

Read More

2019 Alston Callahan, MD Postdoctoral Scholar Recipient

Akshayalakshmi Sridhar, PhD University of Washington Seattle, Washington Project title: Building fovea-like retinal organoids from human pluripotent stem cells. During her first year as a postdoctoral fellow at University of Washington’s School of Medicine, Dr. Sridhar has garnered ‘attention as a rising star,’ according to Dr. Thomas Reh.  “Dr. Sridhar is exceptionally motivated and very […]

Read More

2019 Loris and David Rich, MD Postdoctoral Scholar

Jason M. Miller, MD, PhD Kellogg Eye CenterUniversity of MichiganAnn Arbor, Michigan Project Title: mTor-Independent Activation as a Therapeutic for Lipid-Rich Pathology in Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration Dr. Miller completed his undergraduate degree in biology at Stanford University, where he was active in development of microsurgical devices with the Department of Ophthalmology.  He completed his […]

Read More
Headshot of Rodrigo Martins, PhD

Smc1 and the Cohesin Complex in Retinal Development and Disease

PROJECT TITLE: Smc1 and the Cohesin Complex in Retinal Development and Disease: A New Mouse Model of Photoreceptor Degeneration ABSTRACT: Myc proto-oncogenes regulate diverse cellular processes during development, but their roles during morphogenesis of specific tissues are not fully understood.  This study found that c-myc regulates cell proliferation in  mouse lens development and previous genome-wide […]

Read More