Dr. Ammar A. Abdelrahman from Washington University awarded $90,000 Knights Templar Eye Foundation Grant to Study a Novel Intervention Strategy in Retinopathy of Prematurity

Dr. Ammar A. Abdelrahman from the Washington University School of Medicine was awarded a $90,000 grant for Targeting Retinal Glial Efferocytosis as a Novel Intervention Strategy in Retinopathy of Prematurity.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a blinding disease that occurs in preterm babies. Babies born with very low birth weight and those born before 28 weeks of pregnancy are at greater risk. ROP results from exposure to high oxygen which delays the formation of blood vessels in the retina. As a result, diseased retina develops abnormal blood vessels and may fail to heal properly. In ROP, some retinal cells die under the stress of oxygen and nutrient shortage. Remnants of dead cells must be cleared to allow for proper tissue healing. By design, certain cells are professional in clearing up dead tissue debris. Other cells in the retina can also step up to help in clearing the dead corpses. The regulation of the clearance process is important for the ability of retinal tissue to heal and rebuild the needed blood vessels.

Dr. Abdelrahman aims to study a mouse model of ROP to understand how the tissue regulate the clearance process and what are the differences between the cells in the ability to clear up the corpses. His preceptor's laboratory has successfully designed a unique molecule that helps cells clear corpses faster and with better outcomes. The laboratory has already tested the designed molecule in mice models of inflammatory disease of the colon, liver, and kidney. Dr. Abdelrahman plans to test the unique molecule to help retinal cells to clear the debris more rapidly and to enhance the ability of the retina to mature and heal from the ROP.