NIH RO1 Grant Recipient!

Carla Siegfried, MD, Jacquelyn E. and Allan E. Kolker, MD, Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences received a new NIH RO1 Grant entitled ‘Racial disparities of open-angle glaucoma: A study of mitochondria and oxidative stress in human trabecular meshwork’. 

Glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness worldwide and frequent cause of visual impairment in the US, is an important public health issue, affecting individuals of African descent at an earlier age and more commonly resulting in blindness. By exploring the genetic and physiologic basis of these disparities, our research will provide support for our hypothesis proposing differences in oxygen/mitochondrial metabolism and oxidative stress (from “toxic” free radicals) within the tissues (trabecular meshwork) of the drain of the eye that control eye pressure, the most significant modifiable risk factor for glaucoma. Improving our understanding of how individuals of African descent are more susceptible to damage will also expand potential novel pathways of therapy and prevention for all individuals afflicted by or at risk for this blinding disease.

The R01 provides support for health-related research and development based on the mission of the NIH.