Recently@Retina Newsletter August 2024
August 2024
The mission of the Retina Foundation of the Southwest is to prevent vision loss and restore sight through innovative research and treatment for pediatric eye conditions, inherited eye diseases, and age-related macular degeneration.
A Message
from
Dr. Karl Csaky
As we navigate through the summer months, I am reminded of the incredible strides we have made together in our mission to advance vision research. Your unwavering support continues to be the driving force behind our work, and I am deeply grateful for your commitment.
This summer marks an exciting time for the Retina Foundation as we prepare for the Communities Foundation of Texas’ North Texas Giving Day on September 19th. This year we have set a bold goal to raise $100,000. With your help, I am confident we can achieve this milestone and make a lasting impact on vision research.
In addition to our fundraising efforts, we remain focused on advancing our research initiatives. Our labs are buzzing with activity as our scientists explore new avenues for treating and preventing vision loss. We are excited about the potential breakthroughs on the horizon and look forward to sharing our progress with you in the coming months.
As we continue to work towards our goals, I extend my heartfelt thanks to each of you. Whether you are a study participant, a donor, or a supporter, your involvement is crucial to our success. Together, we are making a difference in the lives of countless individuals affected by vision loss. Thank you for standing with us on this journey. I look forward to the future we are building together.
Save the Date
We Need Your Help to Reach Our $100,000 Goal!
We are excited to announce that the Retina Foundation is participating in the largest community-wide giving event in the nation —North Texas Giving Day! This is your chance to make a real difference in the fight against vision loss.
Every dollar raised supports our three core areas of research: age-related macular degeneration, inherited retinal disorders, and pediatric eye conditions. Together, we can drive breakthroughs that change lives.
This year, we’ve set a bold goal of raising $100,000, and we know we can achieve it with your help!
Giving is easy: Between September 1-19, simply visit NorthTexasGivingDay.org to make your gift online.
Thank you for your generosity and for standing with us as we work towards a future where everyone can see the world clearly!
Dr. Robert C. Wang’s $10,000 MATCH is DOUBLING the DOLLARS!
Be a part of something big- Give Early! Take advantage of the generous $10K Match pledged by Dr. Wang making your North Texas Giving Day (NTxGD) donation go further.
Texas Retina Associates Donates $2,000 in Honor of
Dr. Albert Vaiser’s 90th Birthday
We are grateful to Debbie Klein, Dr. Vaiser’s granddaughter, who accepted the donation during an intimate gathering of Retina Foundation employees. The gift inspired Debbie’s NTxGD Founder’s Campaign with the goal of raising $10,000 in honor of Retina Foundation co-founder Dr. Vaiser, who has been a visionary force in advancing research and treatment for retinal diseases.
In 1975, Albert Vaiser, M.D. along with William B. Snyder, M.D., Joe B. Turner, Jr., and William Hutton, M.D. established the Retina Foundation of the Southwest. Since its beginning almost 50 years ago, many ground-breaking discoveries influencing how the world understands, prevents, and treats vision loss have been made at the Retina Foundation.
Specialized assessments, genetic testing/counseling, and treatment trials are provided at no charge to participants.
As Dr. Fish handed over the check, he reflected on Dr. Vaiser’s pioneering vision for the Retina Foundation and the remarkable progress made in the field of retinal research. He emphasized how Dr. Vaiser’s legacy continues to inspire breakthroughs and advancements that are changing lives today.
Foundation Grant Support
The Foundation Fighting Blindness granted 3 years of funding support to Yi-Zhong Wang, PhD for his research, “Deep Learning Assisted Measurements of Retinal Layer Metrics as Biomarkers for Progression in Retinitis Pigmentosa”. Dr. Wang has expanded his AIassisted ultra-high-resolution retina image analysis project to include collaboration with the Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health and Science University. The study results will provide better tools to detect and monitor disease progression and evaluate treatment effects thereby decreasing the time it takes to bring effective treatments from the lab to the clinic.
The Delta Gamma Foundation of Dallas presented a donation to the Retina Foundation’s Inherited Retinal Disease (IRD) Scientist Fund. This Fund supports the expansion of the IRD laboratory and clinic as Mark Pennesi, MD, PhD leads new ophthalmic genetics treatment trials and the expansion of the Retina Foundation’s research on causes, treatments, and cures for IRD.
The Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee renewed their support of the research conducted in the Macular Function Laboratory for the 6th consecutive year. The Trust has awarded over $400,000 to improve retinal imaging methods.
This one-year grant supports Deep Learning Assisted Analysis of Retinal Structure and Function in IRD and Macular Degeneration. Yi-Zhong Wang, PhD presented the most recent results from this ongoing project (described in more detail in the June edition o f Recently@Retina) at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology annual meeting and the 2024 ARVO Imaging in the Eye Conference.
Dr. Srinivasa Sripathi (Sri) Sripathi recently presented at the Foundation Fighting Blindness’ VISIONS 2024 conference alongside Katherine Uyhazi assistant professor of ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania, on the topic of stem cells and regenerative medicine.
VISIONS 2024, the global conference of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, provides an excellent opportunity to connect with others from the blind and low-vision community and learn about the latest research advancements, products, and services for members of our community.
The conference is designed for individuals and families affected by blinding diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, Usher syndrome, Stargardt disease, Leber congenital amaurosis, age-related macular degeneration, and other blinding diseases. These diseases cause progressive blindness and affect more than 10 million Americans and millions more around the world.
Dr. Sripathi is focused on transforming stem cells derived from the blood of dry AMD patients into retinal tissue that can be used to test various gene and drug therapies. He shared how he is utilizing advanced genetic sequencing to identify AMD risk variants and implementing CRISPR gene editing to correct genetic causes of AMD.
He is also conducting high-throughput drug screening to identify new potential drug therapies to treat dry AMD. It’s innovations like these that will change the trajectory of how we treat and ultimately prevent AMD, providing hope to millions of patients worldwide.
Inherited Retinal Disease Multi- Stakeholder Meeting
The European Reference Network dedicated to Rare Eye Diseases, Retina International, and Foundation Fighting Blindness, hosted the second multi-stakeholders meeting on Clinical Trials for Inherited Retinal Disease, on June 5, 2024, in Dublin, Ireland.
Scientists David G. Birch and Mark E. Pennesi joined the important discussion on the challenges of working in the inherited retinal disease space. The enriching and enjoyable event was interactive, inspiring, and creative, generating momentous ideas and prompting the planning of a roadmap outlining the next steps.
Bart Leroy and Mark Pennesi discuss a paper in the scientific journal Ce ll that seems to draw a link between bacteria normally found in our gut and retinal diseases such as Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP). This episode was an initiative of EURETINA in collaboration with ERN-EYE (European Reference Network for Rare Eye Disease). Click below to listen!
Please help the Retina Foundation continue leading research and saving sight.
Thanks to support from individuals like you, the Retina Foundation is a world leader in research for pediatric eye conditions, inherited retinal diseases, and age-related macular degeneration. The Retina Foundation’s research remains as critical as ever. We continue to work on developing potential treatments for patients with various eye diseases through laboratory science and clinical trials.
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