January 9, 2003
Kellogg is awarded grant to study mechanisms that lead to cell death during retinal detachment
Ann Arbor, MI-David N. Zacks, M.D., Ph.D., who has recently joined the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center, has been awarded a Career Development grant from Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB). Dr. Zacks, a retina specialist, will receive $200,000 over four years to study the process by which certain retinal cells die during retinal detachment, a condition which causes severe vision loss and, sometimes, blindness.
Dr. Zacks will study the mechanisms underlying the death of photoreceptors, the light-sensitive cells that are essential for vision. In previous studies of retinal detachments in rodents, Dr. Zacks collected data suggesting that apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is the primary mechanism in the death of photoreceptors. The grant will allow Dr. Zacks to go a step further — to explore the molecular and cellular processes that trigger a cascade of ever-increasing cell loss. His ultimate goal is to develop neuroprotective therapies to help in the treatment of retinal detachments and related diseases.
The retina's function is to send visual images to the brain through the optic nerve. When the retina becomes detached from its position in the back of the eye, blurred vision or blindness can result if it is not treated. Surgery is the primary treatment for retinal detachment, but even with successful surgery cell death can still occur. Neuroprotective therapies can be used as an adjunct to surgery to help patients obtain better visual outcomes.
"This new area of research has implications not only for individuals who suffer from retinal detachments, but from age-related macular degeneration, a growing concern for our aging population," said Paul R. Lichter, M.D., director of the UM Kellogg Eye Center. "Dr. Zacks has developed an exciting and innovative approach to studying diseases of the retina, and he is a deserving recipient of an RBP award that recognizes outstanding young scientists."
Research to Prevent Blindness is the world’s leading voluntary organization supporting eye research. Since it was founded in 1960, RPB has channeled hundreds of millions of dollars to medical institutions throughout the United States for research into all blinding eye diseases.
Contact: Betsy Nisbet, 734.647.5586, bsnisbet@umich.edu.
