Award supports development of immune-based therapies for blinding retinal disease
Poonam Naik, PhD, a researcher in the Apte Lab within the WashU Medicine John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, has received the Loris and David Rich Postdoctoral Scholar Award from International Retinal Research Foundation (IRRF) to study novel immune-based therapies for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), a leading cause of vision loss.
nAMD is a leading cause of vision loss among older adults and is characterized by the growth of abnormal blood vessels beneath the retina that can damage central vision. While current treatments can slow disease progression, many patients require frequent injections and ongoing monitoring.
Naik’s research focuses on developing a targeted immune cell-based therapy for nAMD by engineering macrophages—specialized immune cells—to selectively recognize and eliminate the abnormal blood vessels that drive disease progression. By harnessing the body’s innate immune system, the team hopes to create a more durable and effective treatment strategy for patients with blinding retinal diseases.
“It is both an honor and a privilege to contribute to the fight against neovascular AMD through a legacy born from Dr. Loris and David Rich’s commitment to preserving vision,” said Naik. “Support from the International Retinal Research Foundation will help advance our efforts to develop targeted immune therapies for neovascular AMD, bringing us one step closer to preventing avoidable vision loss.”
Poonam Naik, PhD
Naik also credited the collaborative environment at WashU Medicine for helping advance the project.
“I am deeply grateful to my mentor, Rajendra S. Apte, MD, PhD, for his unwavering guidance, trust, and support,” she said. “I am also grateful to Carl DeSelm, MD, PhD, and Phillip Ruzycki, PhD, whose expertise and collaboration have been invaluable to this work.”
The Loris and David Rich Postdoctoral Scholar Award supports promising early-career investigators pursuing innovative research aimed at preventing vision loss and advancing treatments for retinal disease.
About WashU Medicine
WashU Medicine is a global leader in academic medicine, including biomedical research, patient care and educational programs with 2,900 faculty. Its National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding portfolio is the second largest among U.S. medical schools and has grown 56% in the last seven years. Together with institutional investment, WashU Medicine commits well over $1 billion annually to basic and clinical research innovation and training. Its faculty practice is consistently within the top five in the country, with more than 1,900 faculty physicians practicing at 130 locations and who are also the medical staffs of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals of BJC HealthCare. WashU Medicine has a storied history in MD/PhD training, recently dedicated $100 million to scholarships and curriculum renewal for its medical students, and is home to top-notch training programs in every medical subspecialty as well as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and audiology and communications sciences.