Eversight Center Awards 2024 Eye & Vision Research Grants

The Eversight Center for Vision and Eye Banking Research in Cleveland, Ohio, recently announced it has awarded four grants to investigators at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts; Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan; and University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to advance promising eye and vision research.

According to the Eversight Center, the grant recipients were selected by an independent review panel of academic researchers and ophthalmologists led by Jonathan Lass, MD. Dr. Lass is Charles I. Thomas Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and member of the Eversight Board of Directors and Medical Advisory Committee.

Proposals selected for funding will engage in meaningful scientific inquisition and align with Eversight’s mission to restore sight and prevent blindness through the healing power of donation, transplantation, and research.

Onkar B. Sawant, PhD, Vice President of Research & Development at Eversight discussed the grants in the press release.

“The Eversight Center for Vision and Eye Banking Research proudly supports early-stage eye and vision research,” commented Dr. Sawant. “The questions our awardees are asking today are pioneering research that gives hope to patients experiencing corneal transplant graft failure, ocular bacterial infection, age-related macular degeneration, and corneal dystrophies. Their investigations may one day lead to improved vision care, disease treatment, and prevention, making vision a reality for more people worldwide.”

Eversight noted it has awarded more than $4 million in grant funding to fuel scientific exploration in the field of vision science. Many of these projects have stimulated larger-scale studies and won further financial support from the National Institutes of Health.

As summarized in the Eversight Center press release, 2024 grant recipients and their proposals are the following:

• Pedram Hamrah, MD, Professor, Genetics, Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Immunology Program, Neuroscience Program, Tufts University. Dr. Hamrah is investigating the efficiency of local adoptive transfer of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) in improving cornea graft survival in high-risk transplantation. This study will provide fundamental data on the role of pDCs in corneal transplantation for a future clinical trial and could lead to novel immune therapies for other corneal conditions and solid organ transplants.
• Ashok Kumar, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences, Wayne State University. Dr. Kumar is investigating dual-acting nanoformulations for the treatment of ocular bacterial infections. Knowledge gained from this study could improve treatment for patients with ocular bacterial infections that often result in partial or complete vision loss despite current antibiotic and surgical interventions.
• Jason Miller, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan. Dr. Miller is investigating the pathoetiology of extracellular retinal deposits that cause irreversible blindness in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by defining the mechanism and composition of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) lipoprotein secretion. Better understanding the fats involved in RPE lipoprotein particles will inform which pathways in the cell could be targeted therapeutically to prevent buildup of toxic retinal deposits that cause AMD.
• Lev Prasov, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Human Genetics, University of Michigan. Dr. Prasov is investigating optimal vectors and methods for delivering gene base editing reagents to treat corneal dystrophies caused by TGFBI gene mutations. An eventual gene therapy could prevent vision loss and reduce the need for corneal transplantation in patients with corneal dystrophy.

The center advised that applications for the 2025 Eversight Eye & Vision Research Grant program cycle will be accepted in Summer of 2024. More information is available at eversightvision.org/grants.