$1.7 Million Awarded in 2021 for Research Grants

Glaucoma Research Foundation announces a total of $1.7 million in annual research grants to support 13 investigators at prestigious colleges and universities across the United States.

In 2021, GRF is awarding $1 million in research grants to the four Catalyst for a Cure principal investigators ($250,000 to each laboratory) to continue their investigations toward restoring vision in glaucoma. GRF one-year Shaffer Grants in the amount of $50,000 each will be awarded to nine individual grant recipients to support their research into potential new treatment targets for glaucoma. This investment continues Glaucoma Research Foundation’s status as one of the nation’s leading private sources of funding for innovative glaucoma research.

“Glaucoma Research Foundation is funding nine researchers at prominent medical research centers with our one-year Shaffer Grants,” said Andrew G. Iwach, MD, GRF Board Chair. “In addition, we will continue to fund the four principal investigators engaged in our multi-year Catalyst for a Cure Vision Restoration Initiative. With this diverse research portfolio, we are doing our best to invest in research that in the short term will help improve the lives of glaucoma patients worldwide while at the same time pursuing the longer-term goal of finding a cure and restoring vision.”

Catalyst for a Cure Research Collaboration

“Despite COVID interruptions, our Catalyst for a Cure Vision Restoration research team has continued to make tremendous progress,” said Thomas M. Brunner, GRF President and CEO. “The team has shown promising results in optic nerve regeneration and is testing new approaches to replace retinal nerve cells, with the goal of restoring useful sight to patients who have lost vision to glaucoma. Their efforts are our best hope for a cure for glaucoma.” he said.

The four Catalyst for a Cure investigators are Xin Duan, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Physiology Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco; Yang Hu, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University School of Medicine; Anna La Torre, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis; and Derek Welsbie, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, San Diego Shiley Eye Institute, University of California, San Diego.

The 2021 Shaffer Grants for Innovative Glaucoma Research

Each year GRF’s Shaffer Grant Advisory Committee evaluates grant applications and determines the most promising projects for Glaucoma Research Foundation to fund. These one-year grants help initiate creative research ideas, and the scientific results often lead to additional funding to continue pursuing innovative research. Following is a summary of 2021 projects the Glaucoma Research Foundation is funding at $50,000 each:

Ta Chen Chang, MD
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
Project: Genetic Studies of Open Angle Glaucoma in Haitian Community

Qi N. Cui, MD, PhD
Stellar-Chance Laboratories, University of Pennsylvania
Project: Evaluating the Glucagon-like Peptide 1 Receptor (GLP-1R) as a Therapeutic Target in Glaucoma

Luca Della Santina, PhD, PharmD
University of California, San Francisco
Project: Excitatory – Inhibitory Balance in Glaucoma

Jiun Do, MD, PhD
Shiley Eye Institute, University of California, San Diego
Project: Optic Nerve Relays for the Restoration of Visual Function

John Fingert, MD, PhD, FARVO
Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa
Project: Single Cell Transcriptome Analysis of Glaucoma

Jason Meyer, PhD
Indiana University School of Medicine
Project: Complement Pathway-mediated Neurotoxicity of Reactive Astrocytes in a Stem Cell Model of Glaucoma

Lev Prasov, MD, PhD
Kellogg Eye Institute, University of Michigan
Project: Elucidating the Role of a Novel Closure Associated Gene in Eye Development and Disease

Teresa Puthussery, BOptom, PhD
UC Berkeley School of Optometry
Project: A Novel Approach to Assess Selective Ganglion Cell Vulnerability in Glaucoma

Steven Roth, MD, FARVO
College of Medicine, University of Illinois
Project: Novel slow-release exosome formulations for glaucoma

Glaucoma Research Foundation Shaffer Grants present a unique opportunity for investigators to pursue innovative ideas in the spirit of high risk/high reward scientific discovery. An emphasis is placed on projects that explore new ideas in the realm of glaucoma research.

Posted on February 26, 2021 / Reviewed September 28, 2021