Dr. Christopher D. Conrady from University of Nebraska Awarded $70,000 Knights Templar Eye Foundation Grant for Pediatric Acute Retinal Necrosis Research

Dr. Christopher D. Conrady from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska was awarded a $70,000 grant for his research entitled: Acute Retinal Necrosis in Children

Acute retinal necrosis is a rapidly progressive herpes virus infection (herpes simplex virus -1 or -2, or varicella-zoster virus) of the retina seen in both healthy children and adults resulting in substantial inflammation ultimately leading to irreversible pathologic changes within the retina thereby permanently limiting vision. Following the resolution of the viral infection, additional ocular complications such as high rates of retinal detachment are common, which only further reduce the already poor visual prognosis.

Unfortunately, the immune response within the retina is poorly understood and very little is known regarding the pathogenesis and local immunity to the virus inhibiting improvements in clinical outcomes. In other better studied tissues affected by herpes viruses, such as the brain and cornea, various but distinct innate immune sensors have been shown to be crucial in initiating antiviral immunity. For example, children with deficiencies in toll-like receptor 3 (an innate immune sensor) are prone to recurrent herpetic encephalitis, and in mice, this has been further characterized to be due to a loss of a potent antiviral, type I interferons. This differs from the cornea where a loss of TLR-3 has no effect on viral containment, but the loss of another sensor, Interferon gamma-inducible protein 16, results in uninhibited viral replication. He will utilize a mouse model of acute retinal necrosis that he has developed, and mimics human disease, to better understand the pathogenesis of the disease and the role of important innate immune pathways to identify future therapeutic targets.