Two UCSF researchers have received major awards from Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB), one of the nation’s leading organizations supporting innovative vision science. These honors reflect the strength of UCSF’s research community and its commitment to transforming care for people with blinding eye diseases.
Luciano C. Greig, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, has been awarded the highly competitive RPB Career Development Award (CDA). Designed to support early-career researchers as they establish independent labs, this four-year grant provides critical funding for promising vision scientists poised to make significant contributions to the field.
Dr. Greig’s research seeks to understand how genes guide the formation of the retina’s many cell types. His lab’s discoveries are laying the foundation for advanced stem cell therapies that could one day restore vision lost to diseases currently without cures.
Learn more about Dr. Greig’s research ›
Xin Duan, PhD, Associate Professor, has received the RPB Stein Innovation Award, a three-year grant that funds pioneering research into how eye neurons and blood vessels interact to maintain proper visual function and retina health.
Dr. Duan’s lab investigates how vascular and ocular pressure interact in the eye. Fluctuations in these pressures may affect retinal neuron survival, yet the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved remain unclear. Dr. Duan’s recent research identified perivascular neurons and mechanosensitive channels, shedding light on retinal vascular disorders such as diabetic retinopathy and retinal ischemia. Currently, few cures exist beyond anti-VEGF treatments. There is an urgent need to uncover the cellular and molecular mechanisms that guide vascular development and function. Defining perivascular RGCs and exploring their molecular features may lead to innovative therapies that target the newly recognized neurovascular interactions, especially those related to anti-VEGF-resistant growth.
These awards underscore UCSF’s leadership in vision research and the promise of discovery to improve outcomes for patients worldwide.