National Glaucoma Research - Current Award Zhiyong Yang, M.D., Ph.D.Johns Hopkins University Title: Role of a Protein Kinase in Retinal Ganglion Cell Degeneration in Glaucoma Co-PI(s):
Donald J. Zack, M.D., Ph.D.
Johns Hopkins University Acknowledgements: Recipient of the Dr. Douglas H. Johnson award for glaucoma research Summary:The research proposed in this application will directly determine the potential value of a new protein target in the treatment of vision loss in glaucoma. In addition, Drs. Yang, Zack, and colleagues will evaluate a drug candidate that can block this target for its potential to preserve vision in a rodent model of glaucoma. Details:Drs. Yang, Zack, and colleagues will use a mouse model of glaucoma to evaluate whether a protein is important in the death of retinal ganglion cells and whether the cells can still relay visual information to the brain. Moreover, these researchers will test whether a compound specifically blocking the protein can increase retinal ganglion cell survival in an animal model of glaucoma. The protein was identified by previous studies by this same research group, but its potential function in glaucoma was not assessed. The completion of this study may help to identify a new drug candidate for treatment of glaucoma and may determine how this protein plays a role in glaucoma. Investigator Biography:Dr. Yang is a Research Associate at the Wilmer Ophthalmologic Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in Baltimore, MD. He completed his doctoral studies at Harbin Medical University, China, and at the University of Rochester, New York. Yang’s Ph.D. thesis research focuses on the regulation of how retinal ganglion cells (RGC) are differentiated from retinal stem cells. At Hopkins, Yang aims to investigate how RGCs die in glaucoma and to screen for drug candidates that can promote their survival. These candidates could then be tested as new treatments for glaucoma. |
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