Glaucoma Research Foundation Announces the 2025 Shaffer Grants for Innovative Glaucoma Research

SAN FRANCISCO, March 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF) announced the nine recipients of its $55,000 one-year Shaffer Research Grants. "We are extremely fortunate for the ongoing and generous investment from our glaucoma community which enables these promising areas of research to be explored," said Thomas M. Brunner, GRF President and CEO. "These one-year incubator grants attract much-needed brainpower to the field of glaucoma and move us ever closer to the discovery of new treatments to preserve and restore vision."

GRF is grateful to the generous donors who funded the 2025 Shaffer Research Grants.

The Arlene Anthony Grant for Innovative Glaucoma Research
Joel Palko, MD
West Virginia University School of Medicine
Project: Impact of Low Blood Pressure on ONH Biomechanics in Glaucoma

The Larry Haimovitch Grant for Innovation in Ophthalmology
Shruthi Karnam, PhD
University of California, Berkeley
Project: Targeting Lipoxin B4 for Reversing Astrocyte-Mediated Neuroinflammation in Glaucoma

The Mary Dell Hibbert Glaucoma Research Fund
Richard Eva, PhD
King's College London
Project: Pro-Tect and Restore: Developing Pro-trudinPlus Gene Therapy

The Rajen Savjani Fund for Innovative Glaucoma Research
Vidhya Rao, PhD
Loyola University Chicago
Project: Role of Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate (NADPH) Oxidase-4 (NOX4) induced mitochondrial dysfunction in Primary Open Angle Glaucoma

The Rajen Savjani Fund for Innovative Glaucoma Research
Supraja Varadarajan, PhD
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Project: The Role of Postsynaptic Targets in Preserving Vision

The Linda and Gary Sirak Glaucoma Research Fund
Karl Kador, PhD
University of Missouri–Kansas City
Project: Reintroducing Developmentally Regulated Guidance Factors to the Optic Nerve

The Frank Stein and Paul S. May Grants for Innovative Glaucoma Research
Steven Barnes, PhD
Doheny Eye Institute, UCLA
Project: Intrinsic Ion Channels Reduce Excitability During Energy Stress

The Frank Stein and Paul S. May Grants for Innovative Glaucoma Research
Fiona McDonnell, PhD
Moran Eye Center, University of Utah
Project: Extracellular Vesicle Regulation of ECM in the Lamina Cribrosa

The Zander Family Research Fund for Glaucoma Genetics
Balasankara Reddy Kaipa, PhD
University of California, Irvine
Project: The Genetics of Glaucoma: Lipid nanoparticle-mediated delivery of base editor ribonucleoprotein complex targeting the trabecular meshwork for the treatment of glaucoma

To date, GRF has awarded more than 300 Shaffer Research Grants. To learn more, visit www.glaucoma.org/research.

About Glaucoma Research Foundation

SOURCE Glaucoma Research Foundation