Shuchi Agarwal, who is a first year student at Boston University School of Medicine, will work with Dr. John Danias, an Assoc. Professor of Ophthalmology at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine.  Her research attempts to identify genes involved in glaucoma.

Her project:  Immunohistochemical localization of proteins up-regulated in the retina and optic nerve in glaucoma

Jihan Akhtar, a first year medical student at the University of Illinois, will work with Dr. Deepak Shukla, an Asst. Professor at the Dept. of Ophthalmology and Microbiology.  Her project involves a study of Herpes Simplex Virus infections affecting the eye.

Her project:  Mediators of HSV-1 entry into Human Conjunctival Epithelial Cells

Michael Andreoli, enrolled in the Accelerated Medical Program (BA/MD) at Boston University, is working in Dr. Meg DeAngelis’ laboratory at Harvard’s Massachusetts Eye & Ear Institute.  His study involves identifying genes responsible for age-related macular degeneration.

His project:  Genetic Analysis of Sib-pairs extremely discordant for Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Almeria Decker, a second year medical student at the Indiana University, is working in the Dept. of Ophthalmology with Dr. Xiaoxi Qiao.  She will determine if a drug that has successfully treated some of the symptoms of Lou Gehrig’s disease will be useful in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration.

Her project:  Evaluating the effect of Minocycline on a rat model of Age-related Macular Degeneration

Corinne Decker is an undergraduate in biotechnology at the University of Delaware.  She will work with Dr. Melinda Duncan in the Biological Sciences at the Univ. of Delaware to study of the development of secondary cataracts, or posterior capsule opacification.

Her project:  The role of βB2-crystallin in epithelial-mesenchymal transition

Meenakashi Gupta, a third year medical student at Harvard Medical School, will work with Dr. Douglas Rhee, an Asst. Professor at the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary.  Ms. Gupta’s project will involve studying the cellular causes for increased intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients.

Her project:  Testing the role of SPARC in intraocular pressure regulation in trabecular meshwork and uveoscleral tract using Dexamethasone and Latanoprost in SPARC-null mice

Alice Irby, who received her second Summer Student Fellowship in 2007, is a graduate student in Vision Science at the University of Alabama.  She will work with Dr. Kent Daum in the School of Optometry at UAB.  Her project involves predicting the prevalence of glaucoma among certain residents of Alabama.

Her project:  Role of ocular and systemic variables and socio-economic status in the intraocular pressure of adults in the Alabama Black Belt

Thomas Johnson, received his second Summer Student Fellowship in 2007.  He is a graduate student at the Centre for Brain Repair at Cambridge University, under the direction of Dr. Keith Martin.  His project involves stem cell transplantation as a possible treatment for glaucoma.

His project:  Characterization of the responses of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and human fetal-derived neural progenitor cells to intravitreal transplantation in a rat model of laser-induced glaucoma

Kevin Joseph is an undergraduate majoring in Biology at St. Louis University.  He will work with Dr. Judith Ogilvie, an Asst. Professor in the Dept. of Biology at SLU.  His project involves the study of a specific gene that is expressed in individuals with Retinitis Pigmentosa.

His project:  Ptpro Localization in Wild Type and rd1 mouse retina

Troy Kapral is a first year medical student at the Medical College of Georgia.  His project, with Dr. Bala Ambati, Asst. Professor of Ophthalmology at the MCG, involves a study of the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the cornea.

His project:  MMP-1, Ets-1 and DNA synthesis suppression by intraceptor interference of VEGF in corneal angiogenesis

Tiffany Liu, an undergraduate majoring in Molecular Biology at Pomona College, will work with Dr. Matt LaVail, Prof. of Ophthalmology at Univ. of California San Francisco.  Her project involves a novel treatment for an animal model of inherited and age-related retinal disease.

Her project:  Combination of CNTF and BDNF in the rescue of mutant rhodopsin transgenic rat photoreceptors

Patrick McLaren, an undergraduate majoring in ecology at the University of Michigan, will work with Dr. Julia Richards, Assoc. Professor at the Kellogg Eye Center.  His project will involve identifying genes that may play a role in glaucoma.

His project:  Sequence variants in CLCN3 and the associated risk of glaucoma

Julie Mocko, an undergraduate majoring in Neuroscience at Northeastern University, will spend the summer working in the lab of Dr. Anne Fulton, Assoc. Professor of Ophthalmology at Children’s Hospital in Boston.  Ms. Mocko’s project involves a study of the abnormal vasculature and growth factors seen in some premature infants.

Her project:  The molecular basis for neurovascular abnormalities in Retinopathy of Prematurity

Amar Patel is a third year medical student at Wake Forest University.  He will work with Dr. Keith Walter, Asst. Professor at the Wake Forest Eye Center.  His research involves a review of certain factors that impact the outcome of LASIK surgery in myopic patients.

His project:  Effect of environmental factors on myopic LASIK enhancement rates

Jared Peterson, a third year medical student at the Ohio State University College of Medicine, will work with Dr. Cynthia Roberts, an Assoc. Professor of Ophthalmology at OSU.  His study will analyze recorded intraocular pressures in patients over several years to determine the impact of advancing age on elevated IOP. 

His project:  The influence of age on Goldmann Applanation Tonometry measurement – a longitudinal study

Parvathy Pillai is a third year medical student at the University of Miami.  She will work with Dr. Richard Lee, an Asst. Professor of Ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.  Her project involves a novel screening technique for patients likely to develop glaucoma.

Her project:  Biomechanical properties of the corneal and ocular disease

David Ramsey is a MD/PhD student at the University of Illinois.  He will work with Dr. Haohua Qian, Assoc. Professor of Neuroscience at UIC.   His study involves the genetic basis of nerve cell changes in patients with diabetic retinopathy.

His project:  The molecular basis for visual dysfunction in the GABA Signaling Pathway in Diabetes

Aaron Sabolch is a second year medical student at the University of Michigan.  This summer, he will work with Dr. Anand Swaroop, Professor of Ophthalmology at the Kellogg Eye Center.  He will attempt to increase our understanding about the role certain proteins in the development of retinal photoreceptors.

His project:  Novel leucine-rich repeat transmembrane proteins as potential modulators of photoreceptor differentiation

George Thomas is an undergraduate majoring in molecular biology at the University of Michigan.  His research project, under the direction of Dr. Anand Swaroop, Prof. of Ophthalmology at the Kellogg Eye Center, involves using a mouse model to learn more about the genes responsible for Retinitis Pigmentosa, an inherited retinal disease.

His project:  Screen for human mutations in RD11, the gene responsible for the RD11 mouse retinopathy

Thuydung Trinh is a first year medical student at Creighton University.  She will work with Dr. James Rosenbaum, Prof. of Ophthalmology at the Casey Eye Institute at the Oregon HSU, to establish a mouse model for uveitis, an inflammation inside the eye, often associated with auto-immune disorders such as juvenile arthritis and MS. 

Ilene Tsui, an undergraduate majoring in Chemistry at Wellesley College, will work with Dr. Janet Sparrow, Prof. of Ophthalmology at Columbia University.  Her project involves identifying certain molecular changes that may trigger age-related macular degeneration.

Her project:  RPE lipofuscin and inflammatory mechanisms in age-related macular degeneration

Melissa Velarde, an undergraduate pre-med studying at Pensacola Christian College will work with Dr. Jeffrey Goldberg, Asst. Professor at the Univ. of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.  She will investigate why certain retinal cells do not regenerate; understanding this will be useful in treating optic nerve injuries and degenerative disease.   

Her Project:  The role of an IQ motif protein in the axon growth ability of retinal ganglion cells

Wes Waxweiler, a first year medical student at the Medical College of Georgia, will work this summer with Dr. John Nickerson, Assoc. Prof. of Ophthalmology at Emory University.  His project explores testing novel approaches to drug delivery into the retina.

His project:  Gene delivery rates into the retina: as examined with subretinal vs. peribulbar injection sites as well as with synthetic vectors

Jonathan Weiner is an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in Biology.  He will work with Dr. Eric Pierce, an Asst. Professor of Ophthalmology at the Univ. of Penn.  His study involves the study of a genetic mutation that causes Retinitis Pigmentosa.

His project:  Mechanism and treatment of Retinitis Pigmentosa 1.

Joshua Zaffos, an undergraduate from the University of Georgia who is majoring in nutrition, will work with Dr. Henry Edelhauser at the Emory Eye Center.  His study involves a study to determine how anti-cancer drugs diffuse across the eye which may provide physicians an alternative method to treat eye tumors.  

His project:  Transscleral delivery of the anti-cancer drugs Vinblastine and Doxorubicin

Christian Antolik, PhD
Schepens Eye Research Institute

Manipulation of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling molecules to promote optic nerve regeneration

Patients with glaucoma suffer vision loss from damage to cells in the optic nerve.  Dr. Antolik proposes to characterize the function of a protein that may impact the growth of optic nerve cells.  He hopes to determine whether this protein can stimulate optic nerve generation.  Dr. Antolik received his PhD in Physiology from the University of Maryland.  He will work in Dr. Dong Chen’s laboratory at Harvard’s Schepens Eye Research Institute.

Marisol Cano, PhD
Wilmer Eye Institute / Johns Hopkins

Novel Anti-angiogenic peptides for the treatment of choroidal neovascularization  

Age-related macular degeneration is one of the most common causes of blindness among seniors.  New therapies have been introduced which limit the neovascularization or new blood vessel growth which occur in this disease.  Dr. Cano will evaluate the anti-angiogenic properties of several peptides in an effort to identify additional treatment modalities.

Jennifer Chao, MD, PhD
Doheny Eye Institute/USC – Caltech

Corneal Plasticity: characterization of the multi-potentiality of human keratocytes

Stem cells may provide a useful alternative to corneal transplantation for blinding eye diseases that result in scarring or opacities to the cornea.  Marianne Bronner-Fraser, PhD, a developmental biologist at Caltech, has differentiated stem cells in a bird model, and hopes to apply this principle of remodeling, translating these promising results to the human cornea.  Her postdoctoral fellow is Dr. Jennifer Chao, who received her MD and PhD in Neuroscience from Yale.  She completed her residency in ophthalmology at Doheny Eye Institute and is now a clinical fellow there.

Samuel Crish, PhD
Vanderbilt University

Glaucoma: a disease of the eye that begins in the brain

Elevated Intraocular Pressure (IOP) is a risk factor of glaucoma, and often results in damage to the optic nerve.  Using an animal model, Dr. Crish will measure how increased IOP results in damage or loss to the retinal ganglion cells which transfer visual information to the brain.  Dr. Crish completed his PhD in Neurobiology at the University of Illinois.  His mentor is Dr. David Calkins, a Fight for Sight alumni, whose laboratory investigates the neurobiology of glaucoma.

Clifton Dalgard
University of California, San Francisco

High-throughput screening of a molecule library for identification and characterization of novel Rb therapeutics

Retinoblastima is the most common eye cancer in childhood.  Radiation was the traditional therapy for these patients, however there was a risk of secondary tumors.  Today, a combination of radiation and chemotherapy is the preferred treatment.  Dr. Dalgard will test a number of chemicals for their potential in effectively treating retinoblastoma tumor cells.  He received his PhD in Neuroscience at the Uniformed Services University.  His mentor for this project is Dr. Joan O’Brien, who directs the Ocular Oncology unit at UCSF.

Rolf Herrmann
Duke University

Rod light adaptation:  Is dopamine involved?

Misbalance in light adaptation is seen in some disorders, such as photophobia, and is a characteristic of some diseases such as RP.  This projects aims to understand, on a cellular and molecular level, how retinal cells adjust their sensitivity to changing ambient light, from moonlight to bright sunlight.  Dr. Hermann received his PhD in Biophysics from Germany.  His sponsor for this project is Dr. Vadim Arshavsky, Professor of Ophthalmology and Pharmacology at Duke.

Aihua Jiang
Indiana University

Studying the activation of retinal vascular endothelial cells in a mouse model of retinal angiomatous proliferation

A subgroup of individuals with age-related macular degeneration develop abnormal blood vessel growth – retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP).  Using an animal model, Dr. Jiang will seek molecular targets to treat this disease.  Dr. Jiang received her MD and PhD from China.  She will work with Dr. Xiaoxi Qiao, Assistant Professor in the Indiana University Department of Ophthalmology.

Colin Scott
University of Iowa

Diagnosis and Grading of Papilledema in patients with raised intracranial pressure using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) compared to clinical expert assessment

Papilledema, or swelling of the optic disc, can lead to permanent loss of vision.  The disorder is generally diagnosed by clinical examination or photographs.  OCT may provide an objective method to measure optic nerve edema and monitor treatment interventions.  Dr. Scott received his MD from the Medical University of Ohio and completed a neurology residency at the University of Wisconsin.  Dr. Scott will work on this project during his neuro-ophthalmology fellowship with Dr. Michael Wall, a Professor of Neurology and Ophthalmology at the University of Iowa.

Yureeda Qazi
Medical College of Georgia

Use of Nanoparticles expressing Flt Intraceptors to Suppress Corneal Angiogenesis

This project will test the use of a unique drug delivery system through the use of nanoparticles carrying plasmids that inhibit abnormal blood vessel growth.  Current treatments for corneal angiogenesis are neither practical nor effective.  A successful, long-term method to deliver therapeutics would have applications in treating many eye diseases.  Dr.Qazi graduated from medical school in Pakistan and will work with Dr. Bala Ambati, FFS Alumni and Associate Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the Medical College of Georgia.

Felix Vazquez-Chona
University of Utah

Modulation of Muller glia using cell cyclte inhibitors

Retinal trauma or degeneration through disease can cause the death or scarring of Muller glial cells.  Finding a way to reverse and prevent glial activity are keys to a successful strategy for retinal repair.  This project will test compounds that block Muller glial cell overactivation.  Dr. Vazquez-Chona received his PhD in Neurobiology from the University of Tennessee and will be a postdoc in the labs of Drs. Robert Marc and Edward Levine at the John Moran Eye Center of the University of Utah.

Organization and Function of the Whirlin Supramolecular Complex in Photoreceptors

Jun Yang, PhD
Instructor in Ophthalmology
Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary / Harvard University

Space Perception and Cortical Organization in Patients with Retinal Degeneration

Michael Silver, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and Optometry
University of California, Berkeley

This project involves study of the reorganization in brains of patients with retinal diseases.  Dr. Silver will compare the MRIs of patients who must cope with the loss of vision with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a disease that results in the loss of the peripheral visual field and Stargardt’s disease, which results in the loss of the central visual field.

Studies of the AIPL1-based chaperone system in retinal photoreceptor cells

Xiaoqing Liu, PhD
Assistant Research Scientist
Retina Foundation of  the Southwest

Dr. Liu will study one of the genes responsible for the inherited disorders, Retinitis Pigmentosa.  Understanding the molecular mechanisms that result in early photoreceptor death may shed light on possible gene therapies for this and other blinding eye diseases.

Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Keratoplasty

Shahzad Mian, MD
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
Kellogg Eye Center / University of Michigan

Corneal transplant is the most effective means to restore vision to patients who suffer disease or trauma to the cornea.  Rather than the current method of surgical blades and sutures, Dr. Mian proposes to utilize an ultrafast laser to assist in more precisely fitting the donor tissue to the patient cornea. 

Modulation of TLR mediated innate immune response in human corneal epithelial cells under high glucose conditions

Ashok Kumar, PhD
Research Scientist
Kresge Eye Institute / Wayne State University

There is evidence that people with poorly-controlled diabetes are prone to infectious keratitis, a bacterial infection of the cornea.  Untreated, keratitis can lead to vision loss and blindness.  Dr. Kumar’s project will investigate the molecular and cellular basis of keratitis in diabetics and may provide insights into new therapies to combat this infection.

Neurotrophic growth factor-secreting stem cell transplants for treatment of glaucoma

Sinisa Grozdanic, DVM, PhD
Research Assistant Professor
Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine

Imaging the effects of cone opsin mutations on the integrity of the cone photoreceptor mosaic

Joseph Carroll, PhD
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
Medical College of Wisconsin

This project will characterize and catalog cone mutations in order to further increase our understanding of retinal disease. Dr. Carroll has developed an imaging approach that will provide information about early cellular changes to the retina, before any loss of vision can be detected.

Local versus systemic blockage of T-cell costimulation in experimental autoimmune uveitis

Thomas Albini, MD
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute / Univ. of Miami