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COOL Lab News

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Congratulations Dr. David Huang for receiving the Greenberg Prize Award!

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- End Blindness 2020—an unprecedented joint effort by leading scientists and figures from the worlds of business, politics, culture, art, music and entertainment to rid the world of blindness—is about to mark a major milestone. On December 14, 2020, 13 pioneering scientists will share $3 million in prizes, from The Sanford and Sue Greenberg Prize to End Blindness, for their groundbreaking scientific and medical contributions to permanently and universally eradicate a condition that has plagued humans since the beginning of time. The hour-long streamed ceremony will be freely accessible and open to all at www.EndBlindness2020.com.

The Greenberg Prize awards ceremony will feature Art Garfunkel, Margaret Atwood, Al Gore, Michael Bloomberg, and Sen. Chris Coons among other luminaries. Musical performances will be provided by special guests. Grammy Award-winning jazz artist Diane Schuur, who was blind from birth due to Retinopathy of Prematurity, will share a few special words. Art-world legend Frank Stella will unveil a sculpture created in honor of the prize.

The Greenberg Prize ceremony will also feature a moving tribute to the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a longtime supporter of the End Blindness movement. The tribute will include exclusive footage of Justice Ginsburg reading from Hello Darkness, My Old Friend, the memoir of End Blindness 2020 co-founder Sanford D. Greenberg.

"While today's prize marks the culmination of years of challenging scientific work, in reality this prize is only the beginning of a journey of innovation and cooperation," Dr. Greenberg says. "Together, we are forging a new reality, one in which blindness will no longer determine the future of millions of people. We will end blindness, sooner than any of us can imagine, permanently and for everyone."

Recipients of The Greenberg Prize include members of the scientific and medical communities who have pioneered breathtaking advances in the fight to end the debilitating condition. Prize recipients are being honored in two categories: the Outstanding Achievement Prize, highlighting profound strides toward treating and curing blindness, and The Visionary Prize, providing funding for scientists whose research exhibits significant potential in ending this ancient scourge.

Outstanding Achievement Recipients:

  • Dr. Ravindran Ravilla, Aravind Eye Care System

  • Dr. G. N. Rao, The L.V. Prasad Eye Institute

  • Dr. Jean Bennett, Center for Advanced Retinal and Ocular Therapeutics, Department of Ophthalmology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

  • Dr. Gustavo Aguirre, Division of Experimental Retinal Therapies, Department of Clinical Sciences & Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

  • Dr. William Hauswirth, Department of Ophthalmology of the University of Florida

  • Dr. Albert Maguire, Center for Advanced Retinal and Ocular Therapeutics, Department of Ophthalmology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Visionary Recipients:

  • Dr. James Fujimoto, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  • Dr. David Huang, Casey Eye Institute and Department of Ophthalmology, Oregon Health and Science University

  • Mr. Eric Swanson, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  • Dr. Zhigang He, Boston Children's Hospital F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center

  • Dr. Simon John, The Jackson Laboratory, Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University

  • Dr. Botond Roska, Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel

  • Dr. Masayo Takahashi, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research; Vision Care, Inc. as part of Kobe Eye Center

"This is not just a prize but the 21st century equivalent of a moonshot, the effects of which will resound through history," according to Dr. Peter McDonnell, director of the Wilmer Eye Institute at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a member of the End Blindness National Governing Council. "Since time immemorial, blindness has been understood as an immutable fixture of the human condition. The great shift End Blindness has brought about demonstrates this is no longer the case. Together, we will end blindness—and sooner than anyone had ever imagined."

SOURCE The Greenberg Prize

2020

Yali Jia, PhD and John Morrison, MD Received NIH R01 Grant for visible-light OCT angiography, velocimetry, and oximetry for characterizing retinal vascular alterations in glaucoma (2020-2023)

This project will develop advanced technology to image retinal capillaries and measure capillary blood flow and oxygen content. This may provide an early indicator of glaucoma progression and help study a potential cause of increased susceptibility to intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients.

January 9, 2019

Yali Jia named Jennie P. Weeks Professor of Ophthalmology

The Weeks Trust was established in 1950 for the purpose of supporting an ophthalmology laboratory at OHSU (which was then called The University of Oregon Medical School).  The trust was transferred to OHSU Foundation in 2010 and the establishment of the Jennie P. Weeks Endowed Professorship followed. Mrs. Weeks wrote that she would like the funds to “assist in preserving the close harmony and happiness which exists among the faculty and staff, and to give encouragement to those who are devoting their lives to important investigations and the care of those who are ill.”

David Huang, MD, PhD ranked #1 inventor on Ophthalmologist Magazine's Power List 2019

Each nomination celebrates an individual who has made a significant impact on the field, whether that is through a philanthropic initiative or their ongoing commitment to innovation. Categories include Champions of Change, Emerging Leaders, Inventors, Mentors, and Surgical Pioneers. Asked what he hopes to achieve in the next ten years, Dr Huang states, "I hope to help bring OCT angiography technology into the mainstream of clinical practice in glaucoma and retinal diseases. I would like to see the GoCheck Kids smartphone app being used to screen worldwide to catch refractive error and other amblyopia risk factors. I also have several new imaging and laser treatment ideas that I would like to bring to the stage of commercialization and clinical introduction."

Yali Jia, PhD selected as recipient of 2019 Discovery Award for Women in Science

Selected in recognition of her exceptional achievements in research, Dr. Yali Jia will receive the 2019 Discovery Award for Women in Science. Dr. Jia is among the most influential researchers working on developing optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Her work has led to major breakthroughs that transitioned OCTA from a purely research technology to the clinic, which is a significant advancement for ophthalmology in general. The importance and quality of her research in OCTA is exemplary, and should serve as inspiration for the next generation of women scientists.

Yali Jia, PhD wins the 2019 ARVO Foundation/Pfizer Ophthalmics Carl Camras Translational Research Award

Yali Jia, PhD won this prestigious award which honors excellence in research and fundamental scientific discoveries, concepts and novel technologies. The discovery that each recipient is nominated for leads to, or has the promise of leading to, clinical applications. This award for young investigators working in areas of translational research honors Dr. Carl Camras, who is highly respected for his work as a glaucoma specialist and a research scientist. He is most widely recognized for developing prostaglandin analogues for the treatment of elevated IOP in patients with glaucoma. During his distinguished career, he took a personal interest in developing the next generation of eye and vision researchers.

Yali Jia, PhD is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Biomedical Engineering at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). Dr. Jia earned her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from OHSU in 2010 under the guidance of Dr. Ruikang Wang. Dr. Jia completed her post-doctoral training with Dr. David Huang at Casey Eye Institute in 2013. Dr. Jia is known for her innovations in optical coherence tomographic angiography (OCTA) and the application to eye diseases. She developed split-spectrum amplitude-decorrelation angiography (SSADA), which is a major breakthrough that transitioned OCTA from a purely research technology to the clinic. Her original paper on this subject, published in 2012, has been cited 900 times. She was awarded 3 NIH research project grants that supported the initial works that demonstrated clinical applications of OCTA in retinal diseases. She is the technical leader in Casey Reading Center. Her OCTA reading software (COOL-ART) has been used by several large clinical studies and many international collaborators. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles with over 6000 citations. She has co-edited 3 books. Dr. Jia and her team are also pursuing research in other novel OCT technologies including the use of nanoparticles as OCT contrast agents, Doppler OCT to measure retinal blood flow, spectroscopic OCT to measure tissue oxymetry, and the use of artificial intelligence to detect and classify retinal pathologies. 

Dr. Jia says of receiving this award, "This award is huge encouragement for me, women scientists and the OCT and OCTA community. I will continue to advance frontiers in my active research program and I believe the future of OCTA will have a major impact on the diagnosis and management of ocular diseases."

ARVO Initiative

Subject: OCT public awareness campaign launched

Colleagues,

With so many of us reliant on government funding for our research, it is important to show the impact our work has on patients, policymakers and the general public. To spread awareness of our community’s contributions to public health, ARVO is launching the largest science communication project it has ever undertaken, called “Revealing the back of the eye with optical coherence tomography (OCT).”

The flagship product of this campaign is a series of videos featuring testimony from patients, clinicians and researchers. Topics cover how OCT improves the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, retinopathy of prematurity and diabetic retinopathy. The technology’s initial support from government funding and potential future applications — diagnosing neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s, improving surgical outcomes in the operating room and application in telemedicine — are highlighted as well.

In addition to the videos, several other resources have been developed:

 

This two-year project would not have been possible if it wasn’t for the support of the ARVO Board of Directors. I am also grateful for the guidance provided by the OCT Advisory Panel, a group of the leading OCT researchers who helped guide the direction and accuracy of the initiative. Finally, I’d like to thank the ARVO staff who dedicated a significant amount of their time ensuring this project crossed the finish line.

Matt Windsor

Senior Manager, Science Communications

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology

Publications from the  IOVS Special Issue:  25 Years of Optical Coherence Tomography

 

Fujimoto JG, Huang D.  Foreword:  25 years of optical coherence tomography.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2016;57:OCTi-ii

 

Gao SS, Jia Y, Zhang M, Su JP, Liu G, Hwang TS, Bailey ST, Huang D.  Optical coherence tomography angiography.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2016;57:OCT27-36.  PMCID:  PMC4968919.

 

Pechauer AD, Tan O, Liu L, Jia Y, Hou V, Hills W, Huang D.  Retinal blood flow response to hyperoxia measured with en face Doppler optical coherence tomography.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2016;57:OCT141-145.  PMCID:  PMC4968776.

 

Ma JX, Tang M, Wang L, Weikert MP, Huang D, Koch DD.  Comparison of newer IOL power calculation methods for eyes with previous radial keratotomy.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2016;57:OCT162-168.  PMCID:  PMC4968777.

 

Yu J, Gu P, Zong Y, Xu H, Wang X, Sun X, Jiang C, Xie B, Jia Y, and Huang D.  Relationship between retinal perfusion and retinal thickness in healthy subjects:  an optical coherence tomography angiography study.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2016;57:OCT204-210.  PMCID:  PMC49687770.

 

Tan O, Liu L, Zhang X, Morrison JC, Huang D.  Glaucoma increases retinal surface contour variability as measured by optical coherence tomography.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2016;57:OCT438-433.  PMCID:  PMC4968915.

 

Yarmohammadi A, Zangwill LM, Diniz-Filho A, Suh MH, Manalastas P, Fatehee N, Yousefi S, Belghith A, Saunders LJ, Medeiros FA, Huang D, Weinreb RN.  Optical coherence tomography angiography vessel density in healthy, glaucoma suspect, and glaucoma eyes.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2016;57:OCT451-459.  PMCID:  PMC4968912.

 

Wang M, Zhou Y, Gao SS, Liu W, Huang Y, Huang D, Jia Y.  Evaluating polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy with optical coherence tomography angiography.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2016;57:OCT526-532.  PMCID:  PMC4970807.

 

Tang M, Li Y, Chamberlain W, Loie DJ, Schallhorn JM, Huang D,.  Differentiating Keratoconus and Corneal Warpage by Analyzing Focal Change Patterns in Corneal Topography, Pachymetry, and Epithelial Thickness Maps.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2016;57:OCT544-549.  PMCID:  PMC4978086.

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