Dr. Heike Kroeger from the University of Georgia, Athens awarded $70,000 Knights Templar Eye Foundation Grant for Retinal Vascular Network Research

Dr. Heike Kroeger from the University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia was awarded a $70,000 grant for the research proposal entitled: ATF6-dependent Regulation of Mesodermal Differentiation in Retinal Vascular Network Development

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is one of the leading causes of blindness in children, caused by the growth of unwanted blood vessels in the developing light sensitive retina. Uncontrolled blood vessel growth into the retinal space leads to loss of retinal integrity and blindness.

Treatment options for ROP are either invasive surgeries in babies, of which 25% still result in the loss of some or all vision, additionally the long-term pathological outcomes post-surgery are unknown. Alternatively, anti-VEGF treatment is performed to block unwanted blood vessel growth. However, it is suggested that anti-VEGF agents that enter the blood stream may also affect other developing tissues like the brain.

Dr. Kroeger’s previous studies have identified the activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6) as an understudied, critical regulator of blood vessel development in the eye.

Her studies demonstrate that ATF6 is critical for the de novo development as well as the maintenance of blood vessels. She will employ a stem cell-based approach to study how ATF6 regulates stem cell development events to generate endothelial cells that are critical for the formation of blood vessels. Additionally, she will use ATF6 activators and inhibitors to manipulate blood vessel growth.

The proposed study presents a unique opportunity to gain new insights into the establishment of a functional retinal network but also identify new regulatory signaling events allowing us to modulate blood vessel growth essential for alternative therapies such as ROP. 3