James Christenson Estate AMD Grant Recipients
2014-15 Winners
Made possible by the generosity of the James Christenson Estate, in partnership with the McPherson Eye Research Institute (MERI), the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences (DOVS), and the Morgridge Institute for Research (MIR)

Aparna Lakkaraju, PhD
Associate Professor DOVS, SMPH
General AMD Award: $25,000
Co-Sponsored by MERI and DOVS
Project title: Repurposing FDA Approved Drugs as Therapeutics for Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Julie Mares, PhD
Professor DOVS, SMPH
General AMD Award: $25,000
Co-Sponsored by MERI and DOVS
Project title: Influence of Lifelong Dietary Plant Pigments on their Density in the Macula and Vision Function

Lian-Wang Guo, PhD
Assistant Professor Dept. of Surgery, SMPH
AMD Metabolism Award: $25,000
Co-Sponsored by MERI, DOVS, and MIR
Project title: Assessment of the Sigma-1 receptor as a therapeutic target for protection against retinal pigment epithelial cell degeneration