image: Wayne State's Dr. Elizabeth Berger awarded $2.33 M grant from NEI for research that aims to improve and preserve vision and eye health in those with diabetes.
Credit: Wayne State University
DETROIT — A four-year, $2.33 million grant from the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health to Wayne State University is supporting research focused on improving and preserving vision and eye health in those with diabetes.
The research is led by Elizabeth Berger, Ph.D., associate professor of ophthalmology, visual and anatomical sciences in Wayne State University’s School of Medicine. Her work seeks to study a newly identified mechanism of diabetes-induced damage while providing key preclinical evidence for the development of a novel therapeutic approach to improve eyesight and general corneal health in those with diabetes.
“When most people think of diabetes and vision loss, they think of diabetic retinopathy,” Berger said. “Complications in the front of the eye such as delayed healing and corneal nerve damage are often overlooked and under-reported. Patients with diabetic corneal complications often experience vision loss and poor healing, and there are very few treatment options right now. Our goal is to go beyond blood sugar control and address mechanisms of cellular damage in the eye.”
“This project will combine two naturally occurring peptides –thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) – to target inflammation, delayed healing and nerve degeneration. Berger hypothesizes that this Tβ4/VIP combination treatment can prevent high glucose-induced damage to corneal structure and function.
“With diabetes predicted to reach epidemic levels in the next few years, we need treatments that prevent complications before it does irreparable damage to vision,” Berger said. “This study will lay the preclinical groundwork for future clinical trials and help to better understand how diabetes affects the eye. If successful, this work could lead to new therapies to improve the quality of life for millions of people with diabetes.”
“Dr. Berger’s important research may one day change the outcomes of patients diagnosed with vision problems due to diabetes,” said Ezemenari M. Obasi, Ph.D., vice president for research & innovation at Wayne State University. “This funding from the National Institutes of Health is a great example of why it is critical to develop innovative solutions to treat health challenges.”
The grant number for this award from the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health is EY035494.
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About Wayne State University
Wayne State University is one of the nation’s pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit research.wayne.edu.
Wayne State University’s research efforts are dedicated to a prosperity agenda that betters the lives of our students, supports our faculty in pushing the boundaries of knowledge and innovation further, and strengthens the bonds that interconnect Wayne State and our community. To learn more about Wayne State University’s prosperity agenda, visit president.wayne.edu/prosperity-agenda.