Rockville, Md. -- The ARVO Foundation for Eye Research announced today that Lloyd P. Aiello, MD, PhD, and Ashim K. Mitra, PhD, have been selected to receive the 2007 ARVO/Pfizer Ophthalmics Translational Research Award during the Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) to be held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in May 2007. The Foundation is a supporting organization of ARVO.
The ARVO/Pfizer Award is presented to honor excellence in research and fundamental scientific discoveries, concepts and novel technologies, leading to clinical evidence of diagnosis, prevention, or amelioration of the pathological eye and/or an understanding of the normal vision processes. The award is presented to two researchers annually. This award is funded by the Foundation through a grant from Pfizer Ophthalmics.
Aiello was selected for his outstanding achievements as a model bench-to-bedside clinician scientist in demonstrating the importance of VEGF in neovascularization, developing anti-VEGF therapy, and involvement of PKC and treatment based on this finding in diabetic retinopathy. He is Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard University Faculty of Medicine, and a past recipient of the Charles Schepens Award in Research and the American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award. Aiello has served on a number of editorial boards including that for ARVO's Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.
Mitra was chosen for his innovative research in ophthalmic drug delivery, including both the identification of functional drug transporters in the cornea and the introduction of new analytic techniques. He is Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Research and Director for Translational Research at University of Missouri-Kansas City, School of Medicine. Mitra is also a Curators' Professor and Chairman of Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of Missouri. In 2002, he received the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Fellow Award. He serves on numerous editorial boards including those for Clinical Research and Regulatory Affairs and Current Eye Research.
"We are delighted to continue to support the advancement of science and its applicability towards helping patients in these important fields of vision research," said Robert Besthof, World Wide Commercial Leader of Pfizer Ophthalmics.
Founded in 2002, The ARVO Foundation for Eye Research provides continuing education and stable support for original and innovative vision research, particularly with translational impact fostering collaboration between clinicians and basic scientists. The Foundation also supports training for new vision research scientists, including those in developing countries. For more information about the Foundation, logon to www.arvofoundation.org.
Established in 1928, ARVO is a membership organization of more than 11,500 eye and vision researchers from over 70 countries. The Association encourages and assists its members and others in research, training, publication, and dissemination of knowledge in vision and ophthalmology. ARVO's headquarters are located in Rockville, Md. For more information about ARVO, logon to the Association's Web site, www.arvo.org
Pfizer Ophthalmics, a division of Pfizer Inc., is committed to preserving sight and eliminating preventable blindness. Pfizer Ophthalmics discovers, develops and provides leading treatments in ophthalmology to support patients who are at risk of blindness or suffering from vision impairment, and to serve the health care professionals who treat them. Its current product line includes the most prescribed treatment to lower elevated eye pressure in patients with ocular hypertension (abnormally high eye pressure) or open-angle glaucoma. In collaboration with OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the division also includes a treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration.