Working as a group to help the individual
“ Visual impairment is a terrifying prospect , particularly for a child or their parents and the elderly ,” said Ramamurthy , WVU ’ s research director of ophthalmology , chairman of the department of biochemistry and professor in the department of ophthalmology and visual sciences . “ Also , if you think about it , a lot of us lose vision as we get older . If you are slowly losing vision from agerelated macular degeneration — or so many other things — the cumulative effect is quite pronounced . For example , challenges with vision are associated with an increase in falls . While changes in vision do not shorten your lifespan , there is a definite impact on overall health and well-being .”
Three researchers have been competitively chosen to lead the COBRE ’ s projects : Sadie Bergeron , assistant professor in the department of biology ; Michael Robichaux , assistant professor with the department of ophthalmology and visual sciences ; and Joel Palko , assistant professor and clinical faculty member with the department of ophthalmology and visual sciences . Their collective experience encompasses conducting laboratory experiments and seeing patients .
The project leaders who get COBRE support will receive three years of mentorship from senior scientists and experts around the country , who will mentor them toward independence .
Undergraduate students will benefit from this NIGMS investment , as well . Eight of them will participate in a vision science research program each summer and be exposed to breakthrough science focused on understanding the mechanisms behind blinding diseases .
Image : Hannah Maxwell . Visvanathan Ramamurthy , chairman of the WVU School of Medicine ’ s Department of Biochemistry , professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and research director of ophthalmology .
A broader solution for vision problems
Is education — or a lack thereof — one of the reasons for West Virginia ’ s disparity in visual disability ? What role does the state ’ s high incidence of diabetes play in the problem ? What about the state ’ s widespread poverty or the large percentage of its population that ’ s 65 or older ?
Scientists don ’ t yet know the answers to these and similar questions . The COBRE , however , could help them find out .
“ How can we reduce that visual disparity that we see in the state , and what could be the reasons for it ?” Ramamurthy said . “ There are some obvious things we can think about , but we need to better understand the contribution of suboptimal access and the response to current treatments . We don ’ t fully understand this health disparity , but we need to think about the complex combination of factors that may be important .”
What Ramamurthy , his colleagues , and his students discover could have ramifications across — and beyond — West Virginia .
“ There are a lot of places around the world that have vision problems that exceed those that we have in West Virginia ,” he said . “ What we learn here in West Virginia is applicable to them , too . It ’ s good in Kentucky . It ’ s good in India . It ’ s good worldwide . We want to be part of a broader solution .”
“ The idea is to think collaboratively ,” Ramamurthy said . “ How can we make change ? How can we translate our basic science findings to clinical practice that helps people ? And how can we learn what ’ s happening in the community ? That ’ s a connection we want to make .”
“ The combination of clinician and basic scientists , along with cutting-edge technology that will be enabled by the NIGMS support , positions the team to have real impact ,” said Laura Gibson , senior associate vice president for research and graduate education for WVU Health Sciences . “ Importantly , the benefit is also felt by the outstanding graduate students who will be engaged in projects across various COBRE-supported labs . This COBRE lands at the perfect intersection of problems that need solved and a diverse scientific community that is ready to take them on together .”
“ Visual loss and blindness are a harsh reality for many people in our state and worldwide ,” said Thomas Mauger , who chairs the department of ophthalmology and visual sciences . “ Our clinicians care for these patients every day and are excited about the opportunity to collaborate with our research colleagues to find new treatments for blinding eye diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa , glaucoma , diabetic retinopathy , and macular degeneration among others .”
Research reported in this publication was supported by National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number 1P20GM144230-01 . The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIH .
West Virginia Medical Journal • June 2022 • 35