The 2023 Shaffer Grants for Innovative Glaucoma Research

SAN FRANCISCO, March 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF) today announced the eight researchers receiving their 2023 Shaffer Research Grants. These one-year grants help to initiate creative research ideas and the scientific results often lead to additional funding. Each Shaffer Grant awards $50,000 to enable a promising scientist to advance their career in glaucoma research and do the experiments to support their hypotheses. To date, close to 300 grants have been awarded thanks to generous philanthropic support.

"The Shaffer Grants present a unique opportunity for investigators to pursue truly innovative ideas that they would not be funded via traditional funding sources," said GRF Board Chair, Andrew Iwach, MD. "As a result of this 'proof of concept' funding some past Shaffer Grant recipients subsequently received significant funding via more traditional sources," he added.

The 2023 Shaffer Grants for Innovative Glaucoma Research were awarded to:

• Benjamin J. Frankfort, MD, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine, for his project: "Adrenergic Receptor Function and Role in Neuroprotection"
• Karsten Gronert, PhD at the University of California, Berkeley, for his project: "LXB4 Regulation of Microglia Homeostatic Function a Neuroprotective Target"
• Wendy Liu, MD, PhD, at Stanford University, for her project: "Investigating Mechanosensitive Ion Channel Variants and their Role in Glaucoma"
• Xiaorong Liu, PhD, University of Virginia, for her project: "An In Vivo Biomarker to Monitor Glaucoma Progression"
• Cezary Rydz, MD, at University of California, Irvine, for his project: "Modulating Ocular Hypertension Induced Accelerated Aging in Rodent Retina"
• James Tribble, PhD, at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, for the project: "Drug-driven Identification of Inflammatory Pathways in Retinal Microglia"
• James Walsh, MD, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis, for his project: "Choroid Resident T cells are Vital for Retinal Ganglion Cell Neuroprotection in Ocular Hypertensive Injury"
• Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD, at the University of Southern California, for the project: "In Vivo Ultrasound Elastography of Iris Stiffness in Angle Closure Glaucoma."

"Typically, the scientific results from these project grants allow the researchers to apply for and obtain larger, more competitive funding," said GRF President and CEO, Thomas M. Brunner. "Many Shaffer Grant awardees have gone on to make significant contributions to improve glaucoma treatments and the quality of life for glaucoma patients," he added.

SOURCE Glaucoma Research Foundation