Research to Prevent Blindness (RPD) and the International Retinal Research Foundation (IRRF) have announced Kaustabh Ghosh, PhD, as the recipient of the Catalyst Award for Innovative Approaches for Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).

Doheny Eye Institute announced this recognition in a press release where they described IRRF and RPD as “two of the preeminent non-profits supporting eye research.”

Ghosh is a Principal Investigator at Doheny Eye Institute and Associate Professor of Ophthalmology in the UCLA Department of Ophthalmology, and according to the release is currently “working on novel ways to understand and treat AMD.” The Catalyst Award comes with a grant of $300,000 to Ghosh to fund his research.

“Our team is very grateful to have received the prestigious Research to Prevent Blindness and Retinal Research Foundation Catalyst Award as it is a testament to the high impact that unique, multidisciplinary approaches might have in addressing long-standing complex problems like AMD,” said Ghosh in the press release.

Kaustabh Ghosh, PhD (Photo Credit: Doheny Eye Institute)

Doheny Eye Institute credited Ghosh’s approach in the release as being “distinct from the traditional emphasis on the role of genetic or biochemical cues in AMD.”

Early AMD, is most often symptomless, is marked by significant degeneration of blood vessels in the outer retinal tissue called choroid. Vascular stiffness is increasingly being recognized as a major contributor to various other debilitating conditions such as cancer, atherosclerosis, and lung edema according to the release from Doheny Eye Institute.

Ghosh credits these findings from non-ocular diseases as inspiration for his research on investigating whether and how changes in vascular stiffness contribute to the onset and/or progression of AMD.