NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #671 BIRMINGHAM, AL 1720 University Boulevard Birmingham, AL 35233 www.irrf.org The IRRF 2017-2018 BIENNIAL REPORT Sandra Blackwood, Editor Photos: Sandra Blackwood David Epstein Design: Robert T. Weathers BECOME A BENEFACTOR How You Can Help… 2017-2018 Today’s scientists play a crucial role in the universal struggle against debilitating eye diseases, but financial funding is needed to facilitate and sustain their efforts. Since 1998, the IRRF has granted nearly $23 million in support of scientific investigations targeting all structures of the human eye, with emphasis on finding the causes, prevention and cure of degenerative diseases. If you would IRRF BIENNIAL REPORT like to help with this challenge, please send your tax deductible contribution to: The International Retinal Research Foundation, Inc. Attn.: Sandra Blackwood, MPA, Executive Director 1720 University Boulevard Birmingham, AL 35233 www.irrf.org The IRRF Board of Directors MICHAEL A. CALLAHAN, MD, JOHN S. PARKER, MD, has served as President since 2004 and gives generously serves as Vice President while devoting himself to private of his time. Since 1998, Dr. Callahan has held a faculty ophthalmology practice and teaching responsibilities in position as Professor of Ophthalmology in the Department of the UAB Department of Ophthalmology where he trains Ophthalmology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham ophthalmology residents and donates time and expertise (UAB), and teaches the intricate surgical procedures of caring for indigent patients. Dr. Parker has served as phacoemulsification and intraocular lens insertion. In Director of the Corneal Service and as Director of the addition, Dr. Callahan lectures on ophthalmic plastic surgery. Residency Training Program in the UAB Department of Dr. Callahan is also very involved in providing ophthalmic Ophthalmology. care in the U.S. and countries worldwide, where medical care is not readily available. V. HUGO MARX, III, PAUL S. STERNBERG, JR., MD, LARRY A. DONOSO, MD, PhD, JD, serves as Treasurer and has been a serves as Director of Research Funding serves as Emeritas Director of Research member of the IRRF Board since 2004. for the Foundation in addition to his Education and continues to provide Mr. Marx operates several corporations, many other responsibilities at Vanderbilt advice to the Foundation Board. Dr. which represent various industries, University in Nashville, Tennessee, where Donoso has over four decades of bench including health care, investment he is Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and clinical research experience, which banking and venture capital. Through and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Adult adds an important component to the his numerous businesses, Mr. Marx has Health Affairs at the Vanderbilt School combined talents of the IRRF Board of provided charitable donations as medical of Medicine. He also serves as professor Directors. Holding degrees in chemistry, supplies, food and support items used in and chairman of the Department of experimental biology, biochemistry/ multiple, extreme emergency situations in Ophthalmology and the Vanderbilt Eye biology, medicine and law, allowed Dr. and outside the U.S. Institute. With a special interest in Donoso to serve as Scientific Director age-related macular degeneration, Dr. when the Foundation was newly formed Sternberg oversees a cell biology and and served as a steadfast member of the biochemistry laboratory that carries out board for 17 years. studies into the causes of the disease. Table of Contents 2017 Loris and David Rich Postdoctoral Scholar ......................4 2018 Loris and David Rick Post-doctoral Scholar .....................5 2017 Alston Callahan, MD Postdoctoral Scholar .......................6 The 2017 Weisenfeld Award .........................................................8 RPB/IRRF Catalyst Award for Innovative Research ..............10 2018 Alston Callahan, MD Postdoctoral Scholar .....................12 About the N-myc regulates growth and fiber cell differentiation Cover Photo in lens development ..............................13 The cover photo is a high- resolution confocal image of IRRF Grants 1998–Present ...........................................................14 the nerve fiber layer of a mouse retina taken by Mr. Gabriel Collaborations That Support Advocacy ...................................16 Luna, University of California Santa Barbara, California, USA. The image received Honorable Partnerships That Produce Impactful Results .........................17 Mention at the International Digital Imaging Competition Collaborations That Provide Sustained Research Funding ...18 sponsored by Olympus BioScapes. The IRRF and Prevent Blindness ...............................................20 Current Eye Research ..................................................................21 Southeastern Vision Research Conference ...............................22 The Eivor and Alston Callahan, MD, Endowed Chair ...........24 UAB Connections .....................................25 The Lasker/IRRF Initiative for Innovation in Vision Science .............................26 4 | IRRF Biennial Report 2017 Loris and David Rich Postdoctoral Scholar Recipient ally Ong, MD, the 2017 Loris After graduating from Duke, she the AAO (American Academy of and David Rich Postdoctoral returned to Southeast Asia to Ophthalmology). Scholar, was born and raised in begin medical school at Duke- Currently, Dr. Ong is working on SBatu Pahat, a small town in Malaysia, National University of Singapore a two-year vitreoretinal surgery and attended Duke University in Graduate Medical School, clinical fellowship at the Wilmer Durham, North Carolina, on a full where she was granted the Goh Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins scholarship awarded to top Malaysian Foundation Research Award in University School of Medicine. high school students, graduating support of a research year in with distinction in Biology with a Dr. Scott Cousin’s laboratory at Dr. Ong was sponsored and Neuroscience concentration in 2007. the Duke Eye Center. Following mentored by Cynthia A. Toth, PhD, While at Duke, Ong completed her graduation from medical school, Duke University Department of senior thesis as a Howard Hughes Dr. Ong completed a transitional Ophthalmology during her time as Biology Forum Research Fellow year internship at a Tufts Medical an IRRF-Rich Scholar. and was a selected member of the Center affiliated hospital before Hart Leadership Program, the first joining the Duke Eye Center endowed leadership program for as an ophthalmology resident. undergraduates in the country. After performing a complex review of patient cases of Coats’ disease treated at Duke over the past 20 years, she was invited to present her work at ARVO (Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology) and PROJECT TITLE: Retinal Imaging with Optical Coherence Tomography in Neonatal Brain Injury to Evaluate and Improve Visual and Neurologic Outcomes. Sally Ong IRRF Biennial Report | 5 2018 Loris and David Rich Post- doctoral Scholar Award Recipient Tia J. Kowal, PhD fter graduating from that her PhD training at Lehigh Lehigh University, University spanned multiple Stanford University Bethlehem, Pennsylvania disciplines including cell-material Palo Alto, California Awith a PhD in cell and molecular interactions, cell differentiation, biology, Dr. Kowal began cellular morphology and tissue her postdoctoral career at regeneration. Her research also Stanford University in Palo covered multiple tissue types such Alto, California. Her research as bone, skin, and reproductive interests are to identify the tissues, resulting in a publication subtype(s) of retinal ganglion on primary cilia. (Kowal, Tia cells (RGC) that have primary J., Falk, Matthias M. 2015. cilia and determine what role the Primary cilia on HeLa and other primary cilia is playing in the cancer cells. Cell Biol Int. 2015. function of that specific RGC November; 39(11): 1341-1347.) subtype(s). Dr. Kowal explains PROJECT TITLE: The Role of Primary Cilia for Retinal Ganglion Cells Tia J. Kowal 6 | IRRF Biennial Report 2017 Alston Callahan, MD Postdoctoral Scholar Recipient Raji Rajesh Lenin, PhD r. Lenin is a graduate of papers at the ARVO annual the University of Madras, conferences and published Hamilton Eye Institute India, where she received her work in peer reviewed Dher PhD in Biochemistry and journals. She is a recipient of the University of Tennessee Molecular Biology Ophthalmology “Postdoc Achievement Award before coming to the United States. 2017-2018 (junior category)” from Currently, Dr. Lenin is training as the UTHSC Postdoc Association, Health Science Center a postdoctoral researcher at the in appreciation of her consistent University of Tennessee under the commitment and capabilities Memphis, Tennessee mentorship of Dr. Rajashekhar demonstrated in her area of Gangaraju, who describes this research. project as an outgrowth of initial Dr. Gangaraju has high praise studies conducted in his laboratory for Dr. Lenin, which he included and that of Dr. Lenin’s PhD thesis in his support letter during work. Dr. Gangaraju’s studies are the application process for the focused on the investigation of Callahan Scholar Award, “As I cellular and molecular principles have interacted with Dr. Lenin underlying tissue regeneration, over the time of her work here at angiogenesis and inflammation. the University of Tennessee, and Dr. Lenin has distinguished during the process of writing this herself through