SUNY Downstate’s Dr. Brahim Chaqour Receives $2 Million for Research Into Treatment of Incurable Vision-threatening Diseases
Nov 13, 2017
Awards Will Support and Further Research on Neovascular and Fibrovascular Diseases of the Eye
Brooklyn, NY – Brahim Chaqour, PhD, professor of cell biology and ophthalmology at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, has received two awards to support research into treatment of currently incurable vision-threatening diseases. The new awards, totaling $2,008,973, are from the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Wayne J. Riley, MD, MPH, MBA, MACP, president of SUNY Downstate, said, "This funding recognizes the strength of medical research at SUNY Downstate and the contributions our campus makes in the fight against the most challenging illnesses, including diseases that are especially prevalent in the populations we serve."
Dr. Chaqour’s research centers on neovascular and fibrovascular diseases of the eye,
including retinopathy of prematurity, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related-macular
degeneration, which are major causes of blindness affecting all age groups. Dr. Chaqour’s
projects focus on the identification of new markers of disease states in their earliest
stages, and on therapeutic targets to stop or reverse disease processes. The funding
will support existing activities and further promising new research efforts.
Dr. Chaqour notes that most diseases that cause catastrophic loss of vision do so
as a result of vascular loss and subsequent formation of abnormal blood vessel and
scarring, often as a result of ischemia, diabetes, aging and/or chronic inflammation.
Neovascular growth is associated with vascular leakage, hemorrhage and fibrosis which
disrupt the highly ordered tissue architecture in the eye and lead to mechanical disruption
of the visual axis and progressive vision loss.
An improved understanding of inflammation, wound healing, and angiogenesis has led to the development of drugs effective in modulating these pathological processes and, in certain circumstances, the preservation of vision. Unfortunately, such pharmacological interventions often are either too little, too late, or plagued by insurmountable side effects so much that vision loss and other organ malfunctions unavoidably occur.
Dr. Chaqour’s lab has emphasized the identification of novel markers of neovascular and fibrotic diseases and design of relevant drugs and effective delivery systems to prevent vascular loss and preserve vascular integrity and barrier function. Dr. Chaqour and his group introduced a systematic methodology to identify putative endogenous extracellular matrix-derived antiangiogenic and antifibrotic markers and validated these predictions in vitro and in in vivo models of transgenesis and targeted gene deletions.
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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.