Eyeworld

12 November 2016 UPDATE A SCRS was founded by young, enterprising ophthalmologists, and the ASCRS Foundation's research grants are a way to carry on and honor that tradition. Furthering study into all areas of eye disease and treatment, the program provides 10 research grants annu- ally, at $5,000 each, to outstanding young ophthalmologists. Over the life of the research grant program, more than $700,000 has been invested to explore new treatment opportunities and prom- ising ideas envisioned by exemplary young ophthalmologists. Emily Sarah Charlson, MD, PhD, Irvine, California, was selected as a 2016 research grant recipient. Dr. Charlson seeks to better under- stand the factors behind the leading cause of dry eye, one of the most by Natalie Zundel ASCRS Foundation Development Director Another $50,000 in research grants is available for 2017; apply now through December 31 ASCRS Foundation grant recipient researching causes of dry eye Insightful news from the ASCRS Foundation common ocular diseases today. Dry eye is an irritating condition affecting the aging population. One frequent cause is loss of the meibo- mian glands. "The reasons for these changes are unclear," said Dr. Charlson, who has shown that aging mice devel- op atrophy of meibomian glands similar to that observed in dry eye patients with age-related meibomian gland dysfunction (ARMGD). "Our recent Illumina RNA-seq whole transcriptome approach iden- tified age-related splicing variation within keratinocyte differentiation, lipid synthesis, and peroxisome pro- liferator-activated receptor gamma signaling pathways among others in mice. This may play an important role in ARMGD. But the translat- ability of these findings to human ARMGD is still unknown," she said. Dr. Charlson's primary goal is to identify pathways important in the development of dry eye. "We are trying to discover and functionally characterize transcriptome pro- files and alternative exon usage in human patients with and without meibomian gland dysfunction," she said. Dr. Charlson is using the first ever whole transcriptome approach to human ARMGD. "Prior targeted analyses have identified a subset of altered cell regulatory pathways associated with MGD," she said. "However, next generation deep sequencing approaches using RNA- seq technology allow for profiling of the whole cellular transcriptomes at a much greater depth, coverage, and resolution than traditional methods." Dr. Charlson hopes to apply her approach within a year. "The next steps include functional characteri- zation of pathways and testing po- tential therapeutic targets in cellular assays and mouse models." In addition to the $5,000 grant award, ASCRS Foundation grant recipients have the opportunity to present their research at the ASCRS• ASOA Symposium & Congress. Many of the 2015 and 2016 research grant recipients have completed their studies and will present their findings at the ASCRS•ASOA EyeConnect Platinum Member Spotlight E ach month, ASCRS recognizes an EyeConnect Platinum Member for his or her valuable contributions to the EyeConnect forum. The October recipient was Jason Jones, MD, Sioux City, Iowa. Dr. Jones was selected as October's recipient based on his engagement points and his extensive contributions to the community. He has been an active EyeConnect contributor since 2008. The monthly member spotlight is chosen among the Platinum ribbon achievers in EyeConnect. A Platinum ribbon is achieved by reaching more than 6,000 engagement points in the member's EyeConnect "lifetime." In addition to holding a Platinum ribbon status, the recipient is chosen based on his or her participation in the various discussion boards in a given month. The EyeConnect Platinum Member Spotlight recipient receives acknowledgment on the homepage of the EyeConnect website, an exclusive EyeConnect coffee mug, and a certificate and letter of recognition. Are you active on EyeConnect? If not, you're missing out on valuable information on topics such as Cataract/Refractive, Cornea, Retina/Vitreous, and much more. You're also missing out on the chance to comment on and share ophthalmic information directly with your peers. Visit EyeConnect today at www.eyeconnections.org and join the conversation.

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