Dr. Nduka Enemchukwu, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine, was recently awarded a $65,000 grant to support his research to prevent retinal degeneration in children, with a focus on the treatment of Leber Congenital Amaurosis 1 (LCA1).
Dr. Enemchukwu will reportedly use a novel small molecule drug structured to block aggregation to prevent cone degeneration, based on previous findings by Dr. Yingbin Fu, associate professor and the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology at Baylor, that suggest retinal cone degeneration in LCA1 is caused by pathological protein aggregation.
The grant was given by the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, which has reportedly donated over $140 million for research, patient care and education.
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Source: Baylor College of Medicine