Dr. Rico Gamuyao from Johns Hopkins University awarded $70,000 Knights Templar Eye Foundation Grant for Retinopathy of Prematurity Research

Dr. Rico Gamuyao from The Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicinewas awarded a $70,000 grant for his research titled: Role and mechanism of ANXA3 in retinopathy of prematurity.

Global statistics shows that ROP continues as the leading cause of childhood blindness. The formation of pathologic retinal blood vessels, a hallmark of ROP, may lead to vision loss in infants. Hence, it is critical to identify and understand how the additional factors that regulate vascular disease progression can be controlled for human ROP treatment.

Dr. Gamuyao is researching the ANXA3 protein is a novel regulator of abnormal pathologic blood vessels in the retina and is a promising target for ROP treatment. Despite its emerging importance, the information on the role and mechanism of ANXA3 in ROP is still inadequate. The ANXA3, which is highly expressed during the peak of abnormal blood vessel formation, when targeted by a neutralizing antibody strongly inhibited the development of disease-associated blood vessels. As ANXA3 is exclusively produced in retinal endothelial cells and myeloid cells, administration of ANXA3 neutralizing antibody promoted gene expression changes specifically in those cell types.