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New Federal Research Grants
Backed by $3.8 million in new federal funding, internationally renowned clinician-scientists Monika Fleckenstein, MD, and Steffen Schmitz-Valckenberg, MD, are forging new ground in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) research at the John A. Moran Eye Center.
The two National Eye Institute (NEI) grants will span five years.
The first grant supports a study of patients with so-called “dry” AMD who experience abnormal blood vessel growth in the eye without the ruptures and leakage experienced by patients with “wet” AMD. Fleckenstein and Schmitz-Valckenberg want to know if this type of vessel growth is the body’s attempt to preserve vision by getting more nutrition to degenerating cells in the back of the eye.
A second grant funds research seeking ways to use imaging to more accurately detect and monitor the onset of dry late-stage AMD, which patients can have without experiencing symptoms. In theory, therapies administered in this stage of the disease could save a large portion of patients from progressive vision loss.
Fleckenstein and her team will examine patients in clinical studies. Schmitz-Valckenberg, who directs the Utah Retinal Reading Center at Moran, will analyze high-resolution retinal imaging and functional tests.
Schmitz-Valckenberg and Fleckenstein are key members of Moran’s Sharon Eccles Steele Center for Translational Medicine. The NEI grants are “The Impact of Non-Exudative Type 1 Macular Neovascularization on AMD Progression” and “Progression of Early Atrophic Lesions in AMD.”
New Federal Funding
Additional Moran researchers received significant National Eye Institute funding in 2023 that will provide a better understanding of blinding eye diseases and conditions.
Paul S. Bernstein, MD, PhD
$1,575,896 through 2027
“Elucidating the Role of Very-long-chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Retinal Health and Disease”
Bernstein will examine the role of fatty acids found in the eye’s retina. Insights could guide the development of new therapies that use a synthetic version of fatty acids to treat age-related macular degeneration.
Eileen S. Hwang, MD, PhD
$951,220 through 2028
“Cellular, Molecular and Physical Mechanisms of Vitreous Structural Heterogeneity Underlying Posterior Vitreous Detachment”
Hwang will study age-related changes in the vitreous, or gel that fills the eye, which can cause blinding retinal detachments. Understanding this process could help identify a way to prevent retinal detachments in high-risk patients.
David Krizaj, PhD
$1,925,000 through 2028
“Molecular Mechanisms of Mechanotransduction in the Aqueous Outflow Pathway”
Krizaj will study pressure-sensing cells in the eyes. Insights could lead to new treatments for the high intraocular pressures and optic nerve death associated with glaucoma.
Frans Vinberg, PhD
$1,924,792 through 2028
“Functional Plasticity in Retinal Degenerative Disease” Vinberg will study how neurons in the retina change during aging or disease. A better understanding of this can lead to the development of new therapies with better outcomes.
Jun Yang, PhD
$1,876,576 through 2027
“Disease Mechanism of Usher Syndrome 2”
Yang will study Usher syndrome, a rare disease that combines blindness from retinitis pigmentosa with hearing loss. The findings will provide insights into the disease in hopes of developing a cure.
