University of Minnesota’s Steffi Daniel, PhD, Receives $100,000 KTEF Grant for Juvenile Glaucoma Research

Steffi Daniel, PhD from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, was awarded a $100,000 grant for Therapeutic targeting of fibulin-3 driven trabecular meshwork dysfunction in juvenile open-angle glaucoma.

Juvenile open-angle glaucoma is a rare but serious eye disease that can cause vision loss at a young age because fluid cannot drain properly from the eye, leading to high eye pressure. This research focuses on a protein called fibulin-3, which helps maintain the structure of the tissue that controls fluid drainage. Certain genetic changes can disrupt how the protein behaves, leading to alterations in the ocular fluid control tissue. This tissue is built and maintained, making it stiffer and less able to regulate pressure. Current glaucoma treatments mainly lower eye pressure but do not fix the underlying tissue problem.

Dr. Daniel will test whether blocking an enzyme called GSK3 can lower harmful fibulin-3 levels and help restore healthy tissue structure. By studying cells and animal models, Dr. Daniel will show that correcting this tissue imbalance can improve fluid drainage and reduce eye pressure. This work could lead to new treatments that slow or prevent vision loss in young people with glaucoma by addressing the root cause of the disease rather than only treating its symptoms.