Boston, MA (Jan. 18, 2012) – The National Eye Institute has awarded researchers at the Schepens Eye Research Institute, a subsidiary of Mass. Eye and Ear, a five year-grant totaling more than $2.4 million to understand the origins of eye allergies (NEI Grant Number 1R01EY021798-01A1).
Daniel R. Saban, Ph.D., M.S., is the principal investigator for the project formally entitled "Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms that Contributed to Ocular Surface Allergy."
Nearly 30 million American suffer from allergies that afflict the surface of the eye, thereby constituting a major health problem in the United States resulting in significant health care costs. Unfortunately, current drug treatments, such as antihistamines, which target end-stage biological events that cause allergies, do not cure this condition.
The research funded by this grant seeks to investigate early-stage events that cause allergy, which may help to uncover more effective targets for treatment of ocular allergies.
About Mass. Eye and Ear: Founded in 1824, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary is an independent specialty hospital providing patient care for disorders of the eye, ear, nose, throat, head and neck. Mass. Eye and Ear is an international leader in Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology research and a teaching partner of Harvard Medical School. In June 2010, under the direction of Mass. Eye and Ear's board of directors, the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Schepens Eye Research Institute formed the world's largest and most robust private basic and clinical ophthalmology research enterprise. For more information about Mass. Eye and Ear, call 617-523-7900 or visit www.MassEyeAndEar.org.