Welcome to the VISION RESEARCH FOUNDATION
Thank you for taking time to learn more about our efforts at the Vision Research Center (VRC) that ultimately aim to improve the lives of those afflicted with eye disease today and tomorrow.
At the VRC, we are at the cutting edge of vision research, attracting the brightest minds in the field to test new ideas and concepts using state-of-the-art equipment to develop cures for diseases that affect the retina, including age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma.
The effects of these blinding diseases will continue to impact a significantly greater number of people. With an aging Baby Boomer population, and the prevalence of eye-related disorders due to age, diabetes, and other conditions, the work of the VRC is paramount.
Our research is vigorous. Not only do we test new ideas and concepts in our basic research, we also take knowledge and treatments already available and improve them through translational research. In this way, our research goes from bench to bedside in the form of therapies and techniques to improve patients’ lives.
At the VRC, we maintain a strong tradition of being the first in the development of new clinical therapies and new tools that aid clinicians in treating patients who suffer from eye conditions. Our current research efforts for age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma will allow us to advance the research further in the hope of developing cures.
The VRC is truly a “Vision for the Future” right here…right now.
Nelson R. Sabates, MD
Professor and Chairman, Department of Ophthalmology, UMKC
President, Vision Research Foundation
Director, Vision Research Center
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History and Purpose of the Vision Research Center
The Vision Research Center (VRC) began in 2007 as the research program of the Department of Ophthalmology at the UMKC School of Medicine. The mission of the VRC is to develop prevention strategies and cures for debilitating eye diseases.
Clinical research, along with the training of resident physicians, has always been an emphasis of the Department of Ophthalmology. However, with the formation of the VRC, both basic and translational research modalities were added. Federally mandated committees approve all VRC research projects. Presently, the investigational focus is on age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma.
The VRC has been endorsed by the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute (KCALSI) — an entity that promotes continuity and collaboration amongst all local life sciences research centers.
In addition to philanthropic support, the VRC is funded by the UMKC School of Medicine, its Department of Ophthalmology, and by research grants.
There is an urgent need to accelerate research in order to stop the adverse effects of ocular diseases. At the Vision Research Center, we wish to enhance the ability of eye disease treatment and altogether remove these diseases as a threat to our quality of life.
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History and Purpose of the Vision Research Foundation
The Vision Research Foundation (VRF) is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that seeks to advance the research efforts of the VRC in response to a rapidly increasing community need. As an independent entity, the Foundation provides the VRC with financial support by seeking contributions from individuals, businesses, foundations, and government agencies.
The predecessor of the VRF — the Eye Foundation of Kansas City Charitable Foundation — began in 1986. In 2007, the name changed to the Vision Research Foundation, and its board was charged with fundraising to support the VRC’s research efforts. The VRF Board of Directors provides oversight of the activities of the Foundation.
To reinforce its commitment to enhancing research, the VRF Board of Directors endowed a chair in vision research at UMKC, establishing the Felix and Carmen Sabates/Missouri Endowed Chair in Vision Research in honor of the founder of the UMKC Department of Ophthalmology and the Eye Foundation.
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First Missouri Endowed Chair in Vision Research
Trained at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Germany and at Yale University School of Medicine, Peter Koulen, PhD, was recruited and appointed in 2009 as the first Felix and Carmen Sabates/Missouri Endowed Chair in Vision Research. Dr. Koulen came to the VRC from the University of North Texas Health Sciences Center where he served as the director of the North Texas Eye Research Institute. With his team of researchers, Dr. Koulen seeks to discover improved treatments for diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.
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The View from Here
Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
In the United States, more than 9 million people older than age 40 years have AMD; no effective treatment is available for 90 percent of them. By the year 2030, an estimated 20 million Americans will have been diagnosed with this disease. It is a leading cause of blindness in Americans ages 60 and older. It is a disease that destroys one’s sharp, central vision that is needed to see objects clearly and do tasks such as reading and driving. AMD has become more prominent in recent decades, due to Americans living longer.
Diabetic Retinopathy
More than 4 million individuals in the United States have diabetic retinopathy, the country’s leading cause of adult blindness. The numbers are increasing rapidly due to an increase in the incidence of both type I (sometimes called “juvenile diabetes”) and type II diabetes. Effective, long-term treatment options are not available. Diabetic retinopathy happens when the disease damages the tiny blood vessels inside the retina. Early symptoms are often gradual and unnoticed.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma affects more than 4 million people in the United States. It is the most common cause of vision loss in persons of African-American descent and a leading cause of blindness in the U.S. In the U.S. and other developed countries, rates of glaucoma are rising as the population ages. Glaucoma damages the eye’s optic nerve. It usually happens when the fluid pressure inside the eyes slowly rises, damaging the optic nerve. Often there are no symptoms at first, but a comprehensive eye exam can detect it. More effective long-term treatment options are needed.
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Seeing Past the Problems to Find Solutions
The VRC seeks to attract the best and the brightest minds to discover and develop cures for these debilitating, often hereditary, eye diseases. With an aging Baby Boomer population and the prevalence of eye-related disorders due to age, diabetes, and other conditions, the work of the VRC is paramount. Specifically, it seeks to solve an issue fundamental to an individual’s quality of life — the ability to retain one’s sight and independence and, in effect, minimize exponential costs to our medical system and society.
As a participant in Kansas City’s life science research network, the VRC has initiated advanced research for some of the most pressing ocular diseases. Specifically, with its interdisciplinary structure, the VRC represents the type of collaboration needed to develop prevention strategies and cutting-edge treatments for some of the most pressing eye diseases in order to make a difference in the lives of millions of people worldwide. At the VRC, basic research can be performed at the molecular and cellular levels with findings translated and applied to clinical research for patients.
Our research is vigorous. Not only do we test new ideas and concepts in our basic research, we also take knowledge and treatments already available and improve them through translational research. In this way, our research goes from bench to bedside in the form of therapies and techniques to improve patients’ lives.
As dedicated as researchers and clinicians may be, typically the path from the basic research laboratory to a patient’s bedside is the proverbial “journey of a thousand miles,” rather than a simple walk down the hallway. It can take years for discoveries — workable solutions — to make their way into a clinical setting. However, by placing research scientists and clinicians in physical proximity, as well as in collaboration with one another, the VRC expedites the process and accelerates advances in drug development and new vision therapies to be used worldwide.
The VRC shares findings of its numerous studies and, thereby, helps Kansas City gain national prominence as a vision research leader through various publications and scientific presentations. Helping train the next generation of clinicians, the VRC also provides significant opportunities for students and resident physicians to work on innovative research studies.
Translation may seem like an automatic part of research and medical practice, but in reality it is a major stumbling block in science, medicine, and public health. This is partly due to the compartmentalization of research training. Basic scientists are not generally trained to think of the clinical application of their work, clinicians are often not taught to formulate research studies based on clinical observations. These groups have long collaborated, but as our knowledge grows and research becomes more complicated, it has become apparent that new ways of approaching basic health problems are needed for seamless translation [into patient care].
—National Institute of Health (2010)
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Vision for the Future Campaign Goals
In 2007, the Vision Research Foundation began the Vision for the Future campaign to raise funds to support the VRC’s research efforts with the ultimate goal of creating a world-class vision research center. While government and other scientific grants help fund start-up costs for much of the research being conducted, additional support is needed for it to continue developing preventive methods and new treatments to save vision.
Funding for this campaign is urgently needed to attract and retain the best researchers to advance the research efforts of the VRC. Our vision for the future depends on it.
Lois Baraban
It was just like any other Thursday afternoon when Lois was driving to her son’s office to have lunch with him. Yet, on her way, she noticed her vision had changed. She had trouble focusing. The diagnosis came next: macular degeneration.
Her doctor urged her to consider taking part in a clinical research trial for a new treatment. She is so happy she did. “It was like a miracle,” Lois said. “I have most of my eyesight back. I can drive and read. If I hadn’t gone, who knows what would have happened. I am so grateful for the good work being done at the VRC, and am hopeful that new and even better treatments will be discovered there so that others who suffer from eye diseases can find hope.”
Elaine Gum
Elaine comes from a long line of people with macular degeneration. Her mother and four other family members suffered from it, blinding most of them. One day she noticed her vision had suddenly changed; her ophthalmologist determined she, too, had developed macular degeneration.
Immediately, she was placed in a clinical research trial at the VRC. Elaine thanks the VRC for saving her vision. “I am very happy to be a part of a program whose findings will help others for generations to come. When my mother went blind from macular degeneration, she had no treatment options. It is phenomenal that the next generation has access to groundbreaking, sight-saving research. The VRC is a great boon to our nation.”
Paul Tonga
As a diabetic, Paul Tonga was no stranger to the eye doctor. He was diligent about his eye care and underwent cataract surgery to improve his eyesight. However, following the surgery, one eye was still weak. He was referred to the VRC where the physicians used an experimental laser treatment for his eye.
“The treatment helped a lot; I believe it saved my vision,” Tonga said. “Because of it, I have maintained my independence and enjoy all the daily activities that were in danger of being lost. I recommend the community gives to the Vision Research Foundation. Vision is one of the most important assets we have, and its loss threatens millions of people. The VRC is committed to eliminating this threat. They have helped me greatly.”
Delores Abernathy
“My dad had macular degeneration when he was my age. For him, there were few options available, and he nearly went blind because of it. I’ve had glaucoma and macular degeneration for a number of years, but my quality of life is much better than my dad’s was at my age, thanks to all the technological advances not available a generation ago. My husband also had glaucoma, and one of our daughters has inherited it. I am hopeful that her vision in the future will be even better than mine, thanks to future discoveries from current research at the VRC.”
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