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Issue: June 2008
ByBarbara Anan Kogan, OD
June 01, 2008
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NEI submits budget request for fiscal year 2009

Issue: June 2008
ByBarbara Anan Kogan, OD

National Eye Institute Director Paul A. Sieving, MD, has requested nearly $668 million for fiscal year 2009 in hopes of supporting clinical and genetic research covering the cornea to the retina. This level of funding, which is the same as the 2008 NEI funding, should allow continued support of 1,039 competing and 29 noncompeting Research Project Grants, according to Dr. Sieving’s budget justification.

Dr. Sieving also hopes to continue the research collaboration with the National Human Genome Research Institute and its director Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD. “While Dr. Collins’ Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) variations discovered macular degeneration’s Complement Factor H (CFH) gene, we forecast [similar discoveries with] glaucoma, myopia, hypertension and other genes,” Dr. Sieving told Primary Care Optometry News in an interview.

Intramural, extramural research

Paul A. Sieving, MD
Paul A. Sieving

The newly established Laboratory of Neurobiology, Neurodegeneration and Repair will expand in FY2009 to integrate basic, preclinical and translational research. This lab will work to develop and test therapeutic interventions in neurodegenerative eye diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and retinopathy of prematurity.

Gene therapy interventions are used to assess various treatment delivery technologies. Researchers in the Ophthalmic Genetics and Visual Function Branch’s intramural research projects and the eye GENE, the national ophthalmic disease genotyping network, will provide genotyping to predict an individual’s risk of developing eye disease.

The National Institutes of Health’s database of Genotype and Phenotype program, launched with data from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study and additional NEI databases, is anticipated in FY2009. The AREDS 2 multicenter trial will enroll 4,000 participants to explore the influence of gene-environment interactions on cognitive function and cardiovascular health.

Focus on disease categories

Dr. Sieving’s budget justification lists research aimed at identifying susceptibility to many sight-threatening conditions, including AMD, diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity, retinal detachment and uveitis. Vision restoration in retinal degeneration may be possible through recent cell transplantation advances, precursor cell biology, re-engineering of retinal neuron proteins and angiogenesis research.

According to Dr. Sieving’s budget justification, “NEI grantees are exploring how infectious, inflammatory and immunological processes affect the cornea and how the cornea heals following a wound. The NEI’s cataract research seeks to understand the physiological basis of lens transparency at the cellular and molecular levels and develop strategies to prevent cataract formation and progression.

“Glaucoma research aims to understand complex genetic and biological factors that cause the disease and develop treatments that protect optic nerves from damage that leads to vision loss,” the justification continues. “Recent new findings may explain causes of blindness and may provide new drug targets for protecting the optic nerve.”

Sensorimotor disorders, rehabilitation research

Vision scientists are seeking to understand how the brain processes visual information, neural activity as related to visual perception and how the visual system interacts with cognitive and motor systems.

The NEI supports rehabilitation research to improve quality of life for those who are visually impaired, to maximize remaining vision and devise improved aids and strategies. A protein was recently discovered that controls proper guidance of the nerves from both eyes to the brain, which is critical for normal visual function.

For more information:

  • Paul A. Sieving, MD, PhD, can be reached at the Office of the Director, National Eye Institute, 31 Center Dr., MSC 2501, Building 31, Room 6A03, Bethesda, MD; 20892-2510; (301) 496-2234; fax: (301) 496-9970; e-mail: atpas@nei.nih.gov.
  • Barbara Anan Kogan, OD, can be reached at 4501 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 102, Washington, DC 20008-3711; phone/fax: (202) 244-1324; e-mail: bakogan@mindspring.com.