University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center | 1000 Wall Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48105 | 734.763.8122
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Important Partner in Kellogg Research RPB “For over forty years, Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc., (RPB) has served Kellogg Eye Center and peer institutions as a strong advocate for vision research. Since its beginnings, RPB has helped to create the funding and the organizational structure needed to encourage research into the prevention, treatment, and cure for blinding diseases. It quickly became known as the leading voluntary organization in support of eye research.Fighting Blindness The research organization grew out of the interests and humanitarian nature of Jules Stein, M.D. Dr. Stein was a practicing ophthalmologist who followed his love of music and created the Music Corporation of America. With the success of that business, he returned to his enduring interest in medicine and, in 1960, founded RPB.
Financial support for RPB comes from individual donors, foundations, and corporations. Since its inception, RPB has channeled more than $182 million into eye research. Through generous grants, RPB has enabled research institutions to attain essential laboratory space, fund scientific personnel, and purchase advanced technological equipment. “It’s almost impossible to imagine where vision research would be right now without RPB,” says Department Chair, Paul R. Lichter, M.D. “It acts as a catalyst for innovative research as well as a mainstay for work that has already proven its promise. It is one of the key non-federal sources of money that makes a critical difference to our work.” Recognizing Kellogg Kellogg scientists have benefited from over $2 million in grants from this prestigious organization. The funds have touched nearly every researcher here, from those beginning their careers to senior scientists, and even researchers on sabbatical. They all agree the support has helped them to make dramatic advances in their programs. Here are a few examples: In 1989, the work of Bret A. Hughes, Ph.D., was supported through an RPB Career Development award for young scientists for his studies to understand how calcium and potassium channels function to keep the retina healthy. Dr. Hughes is an electrophysiologist whose meticulous research into the workings of a crucial layer of the retina known as the retinal pigment epithelium sheds light on how the health of photoreceptor cells—the cells that enable us to see—is maintained. Since his RPB award, Dr. Hughes has received uninterrupted funding from the National Eye Institute. His research has implications for all types of retinal degenerations. Sayoko E. Moroi, M.D., Ph.D., was the beneficiary of an RPB Career Development award last year for her work on pharmacogenomics. A glaucoma specialist, Dr. Moroi is searching for the DNA sequence in a specific individual that will be receptive to drug therapy to control pressure in that person’s eye. RPB recognized the work of Kellogg’s Victor M. Elner, M.D., Ph.D., in presenting a Lew Wasserman Merit Award for 2001. This award, established in honor of RPB’s longtime chairman and trustee, provides support to mid-career scientists. Dr. Elner’s work has long focused on the role of chemokines (a type of protein) in causing the inflammatory effects of eye diseases like diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment, macular degeneration, infections, responses to injury, and uveitis. With more understanding of the function of chemokines and how they work we will be able to develop therapies to deal with the inflammatory process that causes so many common blinding diseases. Last year, the work of Kellogg scientist Julia E. Richards, Ph.D., led to a Lew Wasserman Merit Award which helped Dr. Richards continue her research into determining what genetic sequences cause glaucoma and how the associated proteins cause elevated eye pressure and optic nerve damage. Impact on Research RPB also offers “unrestricted/development grants,” providing funds to the heads of institutions like Kellogg, which can then allocate them wherever they have the greatest impact. Such a grant was critical in getting Kellogg’s new microarray facility up and running. Thanks to RPB support, Kellogg was one of the first research centers in the country to acquire this technology, which allows scientists to analyze thousands of DNA segments simultaneously. Kellogg will benefit again this year from RPB support, with $110,000 allocated in unrestricted funds for 2002. Deb Eadie, Research Administrator at Kellogg explains, “The RPB unrestricted/development grants are like a springboard that helps fund researchers while they collect pilot data. It allows them to gather the information they need to prepare proposals for other forms of external funding. It also helps scientists who are between funding.” A good case in point is the work being performed by Venkat Reddy, Ph.D., who studies the role of oxidation in cataract formation and prevention. Dr. Reddy studies the lens tissue of genetically altered mice who are resistant to damage from such sources as X-rays or sunlight. By studying these mice, Dr. Reddy hopes to gain a better understanding of how to protect the lens against oxidative damage and, ultimately, prevent cataracts from forming. Funds from RPB were used until he received long-term support from the National Eye Institute for these important studies. Groundbreaking Advances Since its founding, RPB has been identified with virtually every major scientific advance in eye research, including the development of laser surgery, new drugs that prevent blindness, and intraocular lenses used in cataract surgery that help improve or restore vision to more than one million Americans each year. “Every major vision research facility in the country counts RPB among its most valued partners,” said Dr. Lichter. “The vision that Dr. Jules Stein had 40 years ago has produced enduring benefits for our generation and those to follow.” |
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University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center | 1000 Wall Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48105 | 734.763.8122
Copyright © Regents of the University of Michigan |