March 3, 2022
The destruction of retinal ganglion cells caused by the type II transmembrane protein Fas ligand (Fasl) is a key factor in glaucoma pathogenesis. Meredith Gregory-Ksander, PhD, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Assistant Scientist at Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass Eye and Ear, and Co-PI Ann Marshak-Rothstein, Professor of Medicine at UMass Medical School, recently received a four-year, $2,408,655 R01 grant from the National Eye Institute to study how Fasl cleavage regulates ocular homeostasis and glaucoma with the ultimate goal of revealing improved strategies for the effective manipulation of Fas/Fasl interactions in patients afflicted with glaucoma and other ocular disorders.