Manon Szczepan, PhD, from Harvard Medical School Awarded $90,000 Knights Templar Eye Foundation Grant for Retinopathy of Prematurity Research
Dr. Szczepan will test this hypothesis using genetically modified mouse lines and disease models with two aims: (1) to determine whether glial c-Fos controls the development of abnormal retinal neovascularization in an ROP mouse model; and (2) to determine what controls glial activation and glia mediated-retinal inflammation during retinal neovascularization. Successful completion of the proposed research will strengthen her understanding of ROP disease and lead to new therapeutic strategies.
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Jennifer Landau Rossen, MD, from Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago Awarded $89,905 Knights Templar Eye Foundation Grant for Childhood Cataracts Research
Dr. Rossen will complete gene-disease associations and variant curation guidelines for the thirteen Crystallin genes, which are associated with approximately half of all isolated pediatric cataracts, by standard methods and compare them to an accelerated Artificial Intelligence (AI)-supported workflow that she will create. The AI-supported workflow, once validated, will be employed for other ocular gene curation work.
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Aniket Ramshekar, MD, PhD, from Stanford Ophthalmology Advanced Research (SOAR) Residency Program Awarded a $90,000 Knights Templar Eye Foundation Grant for Retinopathy of Prematurity Research
In this research project, Dr. Ramshekar, focuses on the role of VEGF signaling in the development of retinal ganglion cells – a specific type of retinal neuron. He predicts that VEGF signaling is needed not only for retinal blood vessel growth but also for retinal ganglion cell development in the retina. The data from this project will better define the role of VEGF signaling in the development of retinal neurons. This research has the potential to provide new insights into how doctors can better treat and prevent vision loss in children affected by ROP.
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Jose Raul Perez-Estrada, PhD, from Miami Awarded $90,000 Knights Templar Eye Foundation Grant for The Metabolic Paradigm in Eye Development and Regeneration
In Greek mythology, an example of regeneration is the Lernean Hydra, a giant water snake-like monster with nine heads, that regenerated each head when cut off. In recent times, the best example of a fictional regeneration figure is Wolverine, a superhero in X-Men comics. Wolverine’s superpower is not to control minds or the ability to shoot rays; his superpower is too simple: to be able to heal and regenerate fast. Thus, regeneration makes Hydra and Wolverine almost immortal beings that do not develop diseases. Newts are animals that, like Hydra, can form a new structure of the eye after being cut off and heal their eye after an injury, just like Wolverine does. Thus, by studying newts, Dr. Perez-Estrada could learn from their regenerative superpower and apply it to humans to cure diseases.
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Linjiang Lou, PhD, from Emory University School of Medicine Awarded $89,857 Knights Templar Eye Foundation Grant for Refractive Development and Retinal Dopamine Level Research
Dr. Lou’s research will increase understanding of the role of bright light exposure and dopamine in myopia development and provide important insight into optimization of potential light treatment strategies to prevent or reduce myopia in children.
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Jose Ronaldo Lima de Carvalho Jr., MD, from University of Pennsylvania Awarded $90,000 Knights Templar Eye Foundation Grant for Research Into Blinding Diseases Which Affect Children Under 10
Autosomal dominant optic atrophy and cataracts (ADOAC) or 3-Methylglutaconic aciduria type III (MGA3), also knownas Costeff syndrome, are caused by mutations in the OPA3 gene. Affected patients present with an early onset complex blinding disease, typically before the age of five for MGA3 and around 10-year-old for ADOAC, characterized by optic atrophy along with other symptoms such as peripheral neuropathy, cognitive impairment, and dysmotility. There currently is no treatment for these devastating diseases. Lima de Carvalho’s long-term goal is to work on both gene therapy and drug screening to prevent blindness and reduce morbidity in affected infants.
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Sangeetha Kandoi, PhD, from Johns Hopkins University Awarded $90,000 Knights Templar Eye Foundation Grant for Retinal Dystrophy Research
By understanding the molecular details of cone development in the TS organoid, Dr. Kandoi will create a roadmap for generating cone-rich human retinal organoids. These mini-retinas-in-a-dish can be versatile tool in the treatment of LCA, EOSRD, and other retinal dystrophies.
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Meha Kabra, PhD, from University of Wisconsin Awarded $90,000 Knights Templar Eye Foundation Grant for Congenital Stationary Night Blindness Treatment Research
Dr. Kabra’s approach will answer several important questions: 1) Can genome editors correct gene mutations precisely? 2) Does gene correction restore the channel function? 3) Is biallelic editing necessary for the channel function? 4) Can PRs be efficiently targeted intravitreally? 5) What would be the long-term off-target effect of CRISPR AAVs?
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Christie L. Morse, MD, and the Knights Templar Eye Foundation 2025 Honorees
The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) 2025 Annual Meeting took place this past October 18-20, 2025, in Orlando, Florida where during the meeting they recognized Christie L. Morse, MD, and the Knights Templar Eye Foundation for their leadership and commitment to improving vision.
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Children's Eye Foundation Transitions SIBA Program to Telemedicine Model to Create Self-Sustaining ROP Treatment Network in Africa
Every year, thousands of newborn babies in sub-Saharan Africa face preventable blindness from ROP, a condition that develops when premature infants receive unregulated oxygen in neonatal intensive care units. While developed countries have virtually eliminated ROP blindness through proper screening and treatment, many African nations lack the necessary infrastructure and trained personnel.
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Abdul Hannan, PhD, from Columbia University Awarded $90,000 Knights Templar Eye Foundation Grant for Pediatric Glaucoma Research
Dr. Hannan aims to understand the workings of a particular gene that causes pediatric glaucoma at a deeper genetic level, which will open up new therapeutic avenues.
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EyeCare America Expands Access to Sight-Saving Eye Care to People Age 18 and Older
Generous gift from the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, Inc. allows innovative screening program to serve more Americans in need of eye care.
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A Decades-Long Campaign to Protect Sight
It is 30 years since the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, Inc. (KTEF) joined the American Academy of Ophthalmology in a journey to improve the vision care of patients both across the United States and around the globe, said Academy CEO Stephen D. McLeod, MD. “At the Academy’s 2025 annual meeting we honor its steadfast commitment to supporting the care so many patients need today, and its foresight in supporting innovative educational programs that help the patients of tomorrow.”
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Dr. Vrathasha from the University of Pennsylvania Awarded a $90,000 Knights Templar Eye Foundation Grant for Childhood LHON Optic Neurodegenerative Disease Research
Dr. Vrathasha hopes to demonstrate through her studies in iPSC-RGCs from LHON patients and the LHON mouse model that mitochondrial transplantation is a viable therapy and can be used as a mitigating treatment for ChO-LHON before the onset of vision loss.
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Dr. Yingxue Cao from Johns Hopkins University Awarded $90,000 Knights Templar Eye Foundation Grant for Retinopathy of Prematurity Treatment Research
Dr. Cao’s objective of her study is to further understand the role and mechanisms of HMGB1 in OIR, in order to develop treatments targeting HMGB1 in retinopathy of prematurity.
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Dr. Remya A. Veettil from Baylor College of Medicine Awarded $90,000 Knights Templar Eye Foundation Grant for Blinding Corneal Neovascularization and Opacity Research
These studies will validate the superior therapeutic efficacy and safety of anti-Scg3 for preserving vision in children afflicted with corneal neovascularization and leading consequences like permanent blindness and amblyopia.
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Dr. Abhishek Vats from Johns Hopkins Hospital Awarded $90,000 Grant for Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy Research
Dr. Vats will use cells from LHON patients, as well as cells from volunteers without LHON, to create RGCs as well as other retinal cells in order to study the mechanism(s) causing preferential damage to RGCs. Dr. Vats is hoping to better understand the pathology of LHON and lead to the development of potential LHON therapeutics.
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Knights Templar Eye Foundation awards $90,000 grant to Augusta University researcher
The grant supports Dr. Zaidi’s proposal titled “Exogenous Apolipoprotein A1 Mitigates Inflammation and Pathological Neovascularization in the Model of Retinopathy of Prematurity,” which focuses on preventing infant blindness through innovative molecular approaches.
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Dr. Lars Tebbe from University of Houston Awarded $90,000 Knights Templar Eye Foundation Grant for PRPH2 Mutation Research
This research should bring better treatments for kids with visual incapacitation due to mutations in PRPH2, clearly giving them a chance for a better life.
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58th Voluntary Campaign
Most Eminent Grand Master, Right Eminent Grand Officers and Sir Knights all, what a great year we had during the 57th Voluntary Campaign. Contributions for awards totaled $1,877,594.49. That is an increase of over 16%! The total amount received, including Trusts and Wills, topped out at $8,698,115.20, an increase of $337,648.88.
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