Dr. Kleinman Awarded $2.6 Million Grant to Study Macular Degeneration
Dr. Mark Kleinman, a retina specialist at Southeastern Retina Associates and Professor of Surgery at East Tennessee State University, has been awarded a $2.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study macular degeneration. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss in the United States.
The study, titled “Histone Expression in the Aging RPE,” is focused on how proteins called histones regulate the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a layer of cells in the eye that allow people to see clearly. Through this investigation, he seeks to determine whether depletion of histones accelerates aging in the eye and leads to AMD. This understanding is important to the development of potential therapies.
Dr. Kleinmain has long been dedicated to advancing care for patients with AMD and other blinding retinal diseases, including his co-discovery of the role certain inflammatory mediators play in the progression of both dry and wet AMD. With this recent grant, he and his collaborators could have another breakthrough that helps change the course of care.
“It is my hope that these efforts will significantly impact the future of aging biology, therapeutics, and achieving a healthy lifespan for our aging population,” Dr. Kleinman said.