The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has been awarded a 5-year, nearly $2.2 million grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI) to investigate the role of efferocytosis in retinopathy and develop potential new therapies. The research, led by Abdel Fouda, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the UAMS College of Medicine, will focus on understanding how modulating the body’s immune response can benefit patients with specific eye diseases.
Fouda's lab, including Esraa Shosha, PhD, Rami Shahror, PhD, and graduate students Carol Morris, Bushra Zaman, and Christian Mitchell, will study myeloid cells and their function in efferocytosis—the process by which these cells engulf and remove dead cells. While efferocytosis is known to be a key part of the immune response in other diseases, its role in retinopathy is not well understood.
Exploring Efferocytosis in Retinopathy
Retinopathy, a disease affecting the retina, can lead to vision impairment and blindness. Fouda's research suggests that enhancing efferocytosis could be a beneficial approach to treating retinopathy. The grant will enable his team to explore treatment methods that boost myeloid cell-mediated efferocytosis.
"I am very excited that we secured this grant," Fouda said in a UAMS release. "This is the second R-type grant for the lab in just 3 years. I extend my heartfelt thanks to my team for their hard work and dedication to bring this fund to UAMS."
The NEI, a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), awards R01 grants to support specific research projects over 3 to 5 years. These grants are the most commonly used grant program by the NIH.
