Jackson eye researcher Simon John awarded $100k Alcon Research Institute grant

Date: August 28, 2008

Adapted from a news release from Alcon Laboratories, Inc.:

Jackson Laboratory Professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator Simon W.M. John is one of seven researchers recognized by the Alcon Research Institute of Fort Worth, Texas, for dedicating their lives to enhancing the understanding of vision and eye health. These seven doctors, who were nominated by previous winners and selected by ARI’s independent Scientific Selection Committee, will receive $100,000 in unrestricted grant money from the ARI to continue pursuing their research into the underlying causes of eye disease. They also will be recognized at the ARI’s biennial symposium in 2009, where they will present their research to all of the members of the ARI.

“The Alcon Research Institute is proud to recognize the career achievements of the world’s leading researchers in ophthalmology,” said Dr. Stanley Chang, chairman of the Alcon Research Institute, and Edward Harkness professor and chair of Ophthalmology, Columbia University. “The impressive accomplishments and contributions of these current winners to the preservation, restoration and enhancement of vision carry on the long-standing tradition of excellence in scientific and medical investigation of the many previous award winners.”

The 2008 ARI Award winners are:

Vadim Y. Arshavsky, Ph.D. for his paradigm-shifting work into the behavior of G-Proteins and photoreceptors in an effort to understand humans’ response to light. Dr. Arshavsky is a graduate of Moscow State University and is currently professor of Ophthalmology and Pharmacology and scientific director, Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University, Durham, NC. Emily Y. Chew, M.D. and Frederick L. Ferris, M.D. who were jointly instrumental in designing, developing and executing the Age-Related Eye Disease Study, with results that could prevent the development of age-related macular degeneration in more than 300,000 people in the next five years. Dr. Chew is a graduate of the University of Toronto and serves as deputy director, Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Research at the National Eye Institute/National Institute of Health. Dr. Ferris is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins Medical School and currently is the director of Epidemiology and Clinical Research at the National Eye Institute/National Institute of Health.

David R. Copenhagen, Ph.D. for his extensive body of work studying visual system development. Dr. Copenhagen is a graduate of and has continued his career at the University of California where he is now a professor and vice chair in the Department of Ophthalmology.

Reza Dana, M.D. for his significant contributions in the area of corneal transplants. Dr. Dana completed his education at Johns Hopkins and Harvard Universities and is now a professor in the Harvard Department of Ophthalmology, director, Cornea Service at Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary and senior scientist at Schepens Eye Research Institute. Elizabeth C. Engle, M.D. for her extensive research into the genetics of ocular defects. Dr. Engle is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and is currently associate professor in Neurology at Harvard Medical School, investigator at Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Senior Research Associate in Ophthalmology at Children’s Hospital Boston.

Simon W. John, Ph.D. for his distinguished career and groundbreaking research directed to understanding the underlying causes and potential treatments of glaucoma. Dr. John is a graduate of McGill University, is a Professor at The Jackson Laboratory, Research Assistant Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine, Investigator at Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a member of the Graduate Faculty at the University of Maine.

In addition to the unrestricted grants, the awardees will join an impressive list of previous ARI winners to participate in a biennial symposium next year that will review, evaluate and discuss cutting-edge research into the causes and treatments of eye disease.

Founded by Alcon Laboratories, Inc., 28 years ago, the Alcon Research Institute supports global advancements in eye health by honoring those who make outstanding research contributions to the vision sciences. The goal of the ARI is to further the study of eye health by fostering ongoing dialogue and partnerships within the vision research community around the world. As it has for 28 years, the ARI annually identifies exemplary leaders in ophthalmic research and honors them with this prestigious award and unrestricted grants to fund their ongoing research. Since its inception in 1981, the ARI has granted almost $21 million to 235 researchers in support of their research into eye disease and ophthalmology. The nominees are put forth independently by former winners and voted on by an independent committee, made up solely of ARI members.

The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution and National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center based in Bar Harbor, Maine, with a facility in Sacramento, California. Its mission is to discover the genetic basis for preventing, treating and curing human diseases, and to enable research and education for the global biomedical community. The Laboratory is the world's source for more than 4,000 strains of genetically defined mice, is home of the mouse genome database and is an international hub for scientific courses, conferences, training and education.

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See also: Partridge Foundation grants $1.25M to Jackson scientist for promising glaucoma research (8/20/08)

Contact(s): Joyce Peterson, The Jackson Laboratory, 207-288-6058
Doug MacHatton, Alcon Laboratories, 800-400-8599

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