Dr. Zhengping Hu Awarded $65,000 Knights Templar Eye Foundation Grant to Research ROP a Leading Cause of Blindness in Infants

A $65,000 check was presented to Dr. Hu by Sir Knights Stuart Drost, Northeastern Department Commander; officers of the Grand Commandery of MASS/RI, Mark Kay, Grand Commander; Richard Seychew, Past Grand Commander; and Richard Van Doren, Honorary Past Grand Commander

Dr. Zhengping Hu from Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA was awarded a $65,000 check to support her research in Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) which is a leading cause of blindness in premature and low birth weight infants. In ROP the absence of retinal vessels in the immature retina leads to the release of vascular growth factors. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a major regulator in the development of ROP. Anti-VEGF has been transformative in the treatment of ROP and is being a mainstream treatment. Yet, the use of anti-VEGF for ROP is controversial because VEGF also plays a role as a neuroprotectant for a variety of retinal cells, which makes anti- VEGF treatment a double-edged sword. Their group has recently shown that a molecule called endomucin that is specifically expressed on endothelium, cells that comprise new vessels, is an essential regulator of VEGF-stimulated endothelial responses. Thus, it has potential as a therapeutic target. This study is aimed at using this information to develop a novel endothelium-specific therapy to prevent vision loss in ROP.