Dr. Jahan Alam awarded $70,000 Knights Templar Eye Foundation grant titled: Immunopathogenesis of blinding corneal disease in vitamin A deficiency

Dr. Jahan Alam from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX was awarded a $70,000 grant titled: Immunopathogenesis of blinding corneal disease in vitamin A deficiency.

Xerophthalmia in vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a major cause of pediatric blindness. Children with vitamin A deficiency develop severe corneal inflammation and opacification that can lead to blindness or loss of the eye. The mechanism by which the corneal disease of VAD develops is unknown, but preliminary evidence suggests is due to loss of a suppressive effect of vitamin A on immune cells that is mediated by a particular vitamin A receptor, retinoid X receptor alpha (RXRα). Vitamin A stimulation of RXRα normally suppresses production of an array of inflammatory/immune factors that can cause corneal inflammation and opacity. Mice with a dysfunctional RXRα receptor develop classic corneal manifestations of xerophthalmia as they age. As an exposed tissue, the cornea is subjected to numerous environmental stresses, such as desiccation, that stimulate inflammation. The tears contain vitamin A that appears to suppress production of inflammatory mediators by inflammatory cells in the cornea. The two aims in their proposal will investigate how VAD causes cornea inflammation and will determine if the cornea disease is caused by loss of RXRα suppression. These studies will elucidate the disease mechanism of xerophthalmia and discover diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for preserving vision in children at risk for or afflicted with these conditions.