Derek Welsbie:
My name is Derek Welsbie. I am an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology here at the Shiley Eye Institute at UC San Diego. What motivates me to do this kind of research is really the fact that I take care of patients in the clinic.
Tonian McDonald:
I kept on experiencing some frequent headaches. Now, these headaches became more and more persistent. I eventually went and get a consult, and here we are with glaucoma. As I started my journey in terms of understanding what glaucoma is, that’s when I got the fear, anxiety, uncertainty about my future. At the time, I was studying to become an attorney. I was like, nobody wants a blind lawyer, so what’s going to happen? I have depression because of it. I have to change of absolute everything about my life.
Milica Margeta:
My name is Milica Margeta, and I am a glaucoma clinician scientist at Harvard Medical School in Mass Eye and Ear. My clinical practice is focused on glaucoma, so I see patients with glaucoma, and treat them, and produce surgery, but then I also do glaucoma research, trying to really understand the underlying causes of this terrible blinding disease. The point of the research that we do is to really to try to find new treatments to prevent people from going blind. We do have some treatments for glaucoma and we’re lucky that we’re able to provide some options for patients, but there are many, many patients who continue to lose vision despite everything we do, and this is why research is so important.
Jiun Do:
My name is Jiun Do. I’m a physician-scientist at University of California San Diego, and what really got me interested in glaucoma research was just really the importance of vision and the impact we can have on people’s lives. I’m lucky enough to be able to treat patients as well, and so I’m really able to develop these long-term relationships and realize how important vision is. My interest in glaucoma in this area in research stems from just what we don’t know about it and the impact that we can have by figuring out what we don’t know and being able to apply treatments or apply new technologies, new ideas.
Derek Welsbie:
What is so unique about the Catalyst for a Cure is the focus on collaboration.
Milica Margeta:
We are brought together with researchers from other domains who bring in completely different expertise, completely different viewpoints. As a result, we can come up with ideas that we never would’ve thought of on our own.
Derek Welsbie:
What the Glaucoma Research Foundation really has emphasized is that they don’t just want four different things that are working together. They want the four labs to create one project that couldn’t be done at any of the four individually. That really is the sum is greater than the parts.
Tonian McDonald:
I don’t take anything for granted, because any day, I can lose sight. I have to be more present and understand that sight is important. With glaucoma, I have to change my priorities. I had to become more intentional with where I want my future to be. To focus on today, right this moment with my family, with my friends, and not start leaning to the future to say, “Next five years I’m going to do this. Next five years, I’m going to do that,” so I still have an experience focusing on the now.
Derek Welsbie:
Glaucoma Research Foundation, they’ve allowed us to swing for the fences. They’re okay with high risk, high reward research. I think, by doing that, we’ve had some big successes, but that really was only possible with this model of funding.
Milica Margeta:
What is amazing about GRF and the funding that comes from it is that we can test creative new ideas and really achieve things that will not be possible otherwise.
Jiun Do:
I feel like we’re on the precipice of something huge. We’re on the verge of a breakthrough for a cure for glaucoma.
Tonian McDonald:
Because of Glaucoma Research Foundation, I have hope for a future where vision loss can be managed and is prevented altogether.
Derek Welsbie:
What’s particularly exciting is that over the last five, five and a half years, we’ve, as a group, identified a lot of targets that could potentially be leveraged to improve glaucoma care. We call these neuroprotective targets. We want to see, of all these targets we’ve identified, which are the best, and then use that to actually come up with something that could be advanced to clinical trials.
Milica Margeta:
What we’re hoping to do in CFC4 is shed light not only the mechanisms for the underlying principles that guide the development of this terrible disease, but not only look at glaucoma by itself, but connect it to other diseases of the brain where similar mechanisms might operate.
Jiun Do:
My research is really focused on restoring vision, and the way we’ve gone about that is using stem cells to try and regenerate the optic nerve. We have a very ambitious goal of really allowing for whole eye transplants as well. I’ve been lucky enough also to obtain my first NEI grant from the work that’s been supported by the Glaucoma Research Foundation. Without the donations from the Glaucoma Research Foundation and its supporters, I don’t think we’d be anywhere near to where we are now.
Tonian McDonald:
I have to say a big shout-out to the doctors, and the researchers, and the industry professionals who have been working tirelessly to support glaucoma and have been working to find a solution for those glaucoma patients. Thank you.
Derek Welsbie:
Donations to the Glaucoma Research Foundation and then via the Catalyst for a Cure to our labs are really critical.
Milica Margeta:
Because of Glaucoma Research Foundation, I’m getting to work with incredible specialists and disciplines that have nothing to do with glaucoma, and I get to learn so much about other diseases and other processes that affect the brain. That is really and truly informing the research that then I do in the context of eye disease and glaucoma.
Jiun Do:
The Glaucoma Research Foundation, by involving not only the scientists, but all those patients as well, the supporters of it, donors, are really spurring innovation, and I think it’s bringing us to the break where I think we will have a breakthrough. I would love to see that day where we’re able to treat glaucoma on different levels, and restore vision, and cheer it.
Tonian McDonald:
We need more companies, we need more organization, more foundation partnering with Glaucoma Research Foundation so we can have a future where glaucoma is not a risk to anyone. Thank you, Glaucoma Research Foundation.
Milica Margeta:
Thank you for supporting Glaucoma Research Foundation.
Jiun Do:
Thank you for continuing to fund glaucoma research.
Derek Welsbie:
Thank you so much for believing in the Glaucoma Research Foundation.
End transcript.
