Ultimately, these studies will help Dr. Soetikno develop automatic imaging algorithms and tools to improve the care of ODD in pediatric patients
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Dr. Oikawa will use cutting edge techniques to study how high IOP changes the activity of the immune cells in the developing and adult visual system in glaucoma at a single cell molecular level and tissue level. These experiments will help identify potential new targets for the development of effective treatments specifically tailored for pediatric glaucoma.
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The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) has awarded 95 travel grants this year to help student/trainee members attend the 2023 annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, thanks to a grant to the ARVO Foundation for Eye Research from the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, Inc. (KTEF)
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Dr. Mulfaul will make retinal organoids which contain the cell types responsible for vision, from both the patient cells and the corrected cells, and they will use single cell RNA sequencing to identify genes and pathways that are altered in Batten disease. This will allow Dr. Mulfaul to identify targets that they can use for the generation of therapies to restore vision.
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At the end of the review process thirty Competitive Renewal & Career Starter grants for a total of $2,699,449.00 were recommended by the SAC Committee and later approved by the KTEF officers.
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Batten disease is one of the most common and devastating diseases of the brain and nervous system in children. This family of diseases is caused by mutations in 1 of 13 genes that normally allow nerve cells to break down waste products. Without the ability to breakdown cellular waste, those nerve cells become diseased and lead to rapid blindness, coordination and strength loss, decline in intelligence, and eventually seizures and premature death, usually before a child is 10 years old.
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Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are the principal neuron in the retina that transmit light signal from the photoreceptors to the brain ultimately leading to the perception of vision. Loss of RGCs is a final common endpoint in many childhood blindness such as optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH).
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As these diseases can cause children to become blind, a time course of years is hardly adequate to save their vision. It is known that processes associated with the immune system, specifically those that enhance inflammation, are increased in retinal diseases. It is the goal of this proposal to test pharmaceuticals aimed at decreasing inflammation to preserve the vision of a mouse model of an early onset inherited retinal disease.
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Despite being needed in all cells of the body, mutations in NMNAT1 cause almost exclusively the death of photoreceptor cells, causing a severe vision loss since birth. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) have the potential to differentiate into photoreceptors and other cells of the retina mimicking retinal development.
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Amblyopia, aka ‘lazy eye’, is the leading cause of visual impairment, affecting ~1% of the population worldwide. It is most-often caused by a misalignment of the eyes during a childhood developmental ‘critical period’ for binocular vision. Because of a mismatch in the quality of vision for each eye during this period, the brain learns to ‘ignore’ the worse eye, resulting in a permanent loss of vision. After ~6-9 years of age in humans, there is no cure for this. Dr. Grieco recently found in pre-clinical studies that a neurotherapeutic induces visual system neuroplasticity and reverses the effects of amblyopia to restore vision.
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Pediatric blepharokeratoconjunctivitis (BKC) is a common but poorly understood childhood disease in which the surface of the eye becomes inflamed. This condition typically affects young children whose vision is still developing, causing issues from eye redness and irritation, to debilitating light sensitivity and permanent vision loss due to corneal scarring.
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This data will provide new insight into mechanisms contributing to COL4A1-related ASD and could pave the way to understand more general causative mechanisms of ASD.
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He will utilize a mouse model of acute retinal necrosis that he has developed, and mimics human disease, to better understand the pathogenesis of the disease and the role of important innate immune pathways to identify future therapeutic targets.
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The overall goal of his research is to develop a non-invasive retinal drug delivery system for children affected by retinal diseases, which is currently exceptionally difficult due to the inadequacy of the administration method.
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The Knights Templar Eye Foundation Inc. has announced a Pediatric Ophthalmology Research Grant Award Program of $3 Million. The Knights Templar Eye Foundation Inc. (KTEF) invites eligible investigators to submit applications for Pediatric Ophthalmology Career-Starter Research Grants for the next award period of July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024. The Foundation estimates approximately 33 grants of $90,000 each will be awarded. Deadline for the receipt of the submission is Sunday January 15, 2023.
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The Knights Templar Eye Foundation directorship in Pediatric Vision Research was established in March 2021 by the Knights Templar Eye Foundation in collaboration with Vanderbilt University Medical Center in honor of John S. Penn, PhD, to support clinical or basic research on conditions that are potentially preventable or correctable in infants and children. This Professorship endowment was awarded $2 million from the Foundation and was matched dollar for dollar by Vanderbilt University.
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KTEF is at the center of pediatric ophthalmology. By identifying key areas of research for seed funding, KTEF accelerates research into experimental areas where, over the last few decades, the greatest advances in pediatric ophthalmology have been made. The Knights Templar have launched some of the most important careers in the field, including Dr. Lee’s.
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The KTEF Pediatric Ophthalmology VR Simulation Program is a first-of-its-kind educational initiative, offering free, open, cutting-edge simulation training to ophthalmologists worldwide through the use of VR headsets, other hardware, and web browsers widely available to consumers.
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Thank you to each of you for what you do for Templary, and May God Bless You for your support in this 55th Annual Knights Templar Eye Foundation Voluntary Campaign. Please remember what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
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He will compare the results from ROP animals with that from healthy animals to check how ROP damages the retina. They will also calculate several indicators to evaluate the degree of difference in retina. The evidence and results will cast new insight of doctors’ clinic practice for ROP.
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