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$200,000 Awarded to Promising Glaucoma Research Projects
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, February 15, 2007 — Grants in the amount of $200,000 were awarded in January by the Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF), funding five Pilot Projects at Tel Aviv University, University of California at Irvine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Dalhousie University, and the Medical College of Wisconsin, according to GRF President and CEO Thomas M. Brunner.
“Our Pilot Project grants provide essential seed money for research studies with breakthrough potential,” said Brunner. “This year GRF continues our ongoing commitment to investing in high-impact research by funding five more Pilot Project study grants. Results from these studies promise to accelerate the pace of discovery for improved glaucoma treatments and enhance the quality of life for people with glaucoma.”
Pilot Grant awardees included $40,000 to Ruth Ashery-Padan, PhD, Tel Aviv University, Israel to study the roles of the Pax6 gene in the development of the trabecular meshwork and Schlemm’s canal; $40,000 to Donald J. Brown, PhD, University of California, Irvine to study pressure-induced dynamic 3D changes in lamina cribrosa using second harmonic imaging microscopy; $40,000 to Christopher A. Girkin, MD MSPH, University of Alabama, Birmingham to study the role of the lamina cribrosa in development and progression of glaucoma; $40,000 to Sharon A. Haymes, PhD, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada to study strategies used by glaucoma patients to view real-world scenes; and $40,000 to Brian A. Link, PhD, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee to identify genes that promote retinal ganglion cell degeneration in the context of elevated intraocular pressure.
“GRF Pilot Project Grants are designed to fund initial studies that address an especially novel idea or determine the feasibility of a larger scale project,” explained Brunner. “Grants that address new, untested ideas are frequently not competitive for large public sector grants until preliminary studies indicate that the project is likely to be successful. Our Pilot Project Grants provide this bridge, and often enable the investigators to qualify for these larger funds.”
The Scientific Advisory Committee overseeing the Pilot Projects and recommending which grants will be selected for funding is chaired by George Cioffi, MD, Discoveries in Sight, Portland; and includes Balwantray Chauhan PhD, Dalhousie University; Anne Coleman MD, PhD, Jules Stein Eye Institute; Harry Quigley, MD, Wilmer Eye Institute; Sayoko Eileen Moroi, MD, PhD, University of Michigan; John C. Morrison, MD, Casey Eye Institute; Harry Quigley, MD, Wilmer Eye Institute, Baltimore; Ernst Tamm, MD, University of Regensburg; Douglas E. Vollrath, MD, PhD, Stanford University; Arthur J. Weber, PhD, Michigan State University; Robert N. Weinreb, MD, University of California, San Diego; and Janey L. Wiggs, MD, PhD, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.
Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness. The Glaucoma Research Foundation works to prevent vision loss from glaucoma by investing in innovative research, education, and support with the ultimate goal of finding a cure.