American Health Assistance Congratulates Scientists Recognized by ARVO for Outstanding Vision Research
CLARKSBURG, MD-The American Health Assistance Foundation congratulates two outstanding scientists who were honored this week by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).
Robert E. Anderson, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, presented his Proctor Award Lecture at this year's ARVO Annual Meeting in Fort Lauderdale, FL, after receiving ARVO's Proctor Medal in 2011. Dr. Anderson, a professor of ophthalmology and cell biology and longtime scientific advisor to AHAF, was recognized by ARVO for more than 40 years of research on the advancement of our understanding of the biochemistry and cell biology of photoreceptors. Dr. Anderson has served on AHAF's Scientific Review Committee for Macular Degeneration Research.
His recent studies show that the insulin receptor is present in the eye's rod and cone outer segments, is activated by light, and protects against stress-induced retinal degeneration. His Proctor Lecture on May 6 addressed “The Insulin Receptor-P13K Signaling Pathway and Retinal Neuroprotection.”
The Proctor Medal, which was established in 1949 as a memorial to Francis I. Proctor, MD, honors outstanding scientific research as applied to ophthalmology.
Dr. Jeffrey Goldberg, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Miami's Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Florida, received ARVO's 2012 Cogan Award. Established in 1988 to commemorate David G. Cogan, MD, the award recognizes a researcher who is 40 years of age or younger and who has made important contributions to research in ophthalmology or visual science.
Dr. Goldberg was honored for his laboratory research directed at neuroprotection and regeneration of retinal ganglion cells, and for contributing significant discoveries about the failure of optic nerve regeneration in glaucoma. He presented the 2012 Cogan Lecture, “Retinal Ganglion Cell Development and Regeneration,” on Tuesday, May 8.
AHAF's National Glaucoma Research program has funded past and present research projects of Dr. Goldberg, including a current study examining how to enhance optic nerve regeneration with gene therapy.
You can read more descriptions of Dr. Goldberg's work in See a Better Tomorrow: American Health Assistance' National Glaucoma Research Highlights.
View a video of Tommy Apara, a doctoral candidate working in the lab of Dr. Jeffrey Goldberg, who discusses research into why cells in the eye fail to regenerate and how this could lead to new therapies for brain and vision disorders.
Read more about the American Health Assistance Foundation's See a Better Tomorrow campaign.
About the American Health Assistance Foundation
The American Health Assistance Foundation (www.ahaf.org) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding cures for age-related degenerative diseases by funding research worldwide under its three program areas: Alzheimer's Disease Research, Macular Degeneration Research, and National Glaucoma Research. AHAF also provides public information about these diseases.
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