The Impact of KTEF Funding

Irina De la Huerta, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

I am a practicing vitreoretinal surgeon with subspecialty training in pediatric retinal disorders. I have always wanted to be both a physician and a scientist, and to run a laboratory dedicated to developing solutions for treating children who suffer from diseases thought of as incurable. My interest in the pediatric retina grew from learning about retinal development during my Ph.D. in neuroscience. This experience inspired me to pursue clinical training in ophthalmology, and to start developing research ideas focusing on the role that retinal neurons play in pediatric disorders of the retinal vasculature. Throughout my ophthalmology residency, I continued to participate in laboratory research in retinal diseases. Following residency, I pursued fellowship training in vitreoretinal surgery with a special focus on pediatric retinal conditions. Having acquired both the laboratory and the clinical training necessary to develop new therapies for retinal diseases in children, I joined the faculty in the Department of Ophthalmology at Vanderbilt University.

When I started in my position at Vanderbilt, I was ready to begin building my research program. Yet I quickly learned that most foundations as well as the National Institutes of Health require a substantial amount of preliminary data in order to fund grant applications. This is a significant obstacle for many early career scientists, and the difficulties are further compounded for those of us who at the same time are building a medical and a surgical practice. John Penn, who is one of my mentors and who was awarded research funding from the Knights Templar Eye Foundation early in his career, understood well my predicament. He advised me to apply for a KTEF Career Starter Grant. The support I received from the Knights Templar Eye Foundation allowed me to form a laboratory team and to start putting my scientific ideas in action. I will never forget the role that the Foundation’s grant played in getting my research program up and running.

Irina De la Huerta, M.D., Ph.D. was awarded the Knights Templar Eye Foundation 2019 Career Starter grant and 2020 Renewal grant

Funding for research in pediatric eye disorders is extremely important and critically needed. The Knights Templar Eye Foundation is one of the few organizations that provide support for pediatric ophthalmology research. I have learned from my mentors who are successful and respected principal investigators about the difficult times they faced early in their careers due to the uncertainty of funding. The grants awarded by the Foundation are invaluable in helping early career scientists and clinician scientists like me to develop laboratories dedicated to vision research.