Research News

Dr. Shukla and Dr. Tiwari receive Glaucoma Foundation grant for research on Herpes Simplex-induced glaucoma

Deepak Shukla PhD, Associate Professor and Director, Ocular Virology Laboratory, and Vaibhav Tiwari PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, have been awarded a grant from the Glaucoma Foundation to examine the viability of novel peptides in preventing damage of ocular cells including those that are responsible for regulating intra-ocular pressure (IOP). Increases in IOP can result in the development of glaucoma.

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the United States , and Herpes Simplex is the most common infectious cause of corneal blindness in developed countries. Herpes Simplex Virus affects a sizable proportion of the population, and many may be even unaware that they are affected. Approximately 60-90% of the world's population may be affected by Herpes Simplex Virus, and is thus a major health concern.

Every year, approximately 50,000 cases of Herpes Simplex (both types 1 and 2) are reported to affect the eyes, and 6,000 of those cases may experience loss of vision. Thus, developing interventions is of utmost importance in preventing one of the leading causes of blindness.

Type 1 Herpes Simplex is more likely than type 2 to affect the eye (type 2 primarily affects areas below the waist) and may indirectly aggravate glaucoma (and thus blindness) by damaging certain specialized cells in the eye, called trabecular meshwork cells, which help regulate intraocular pressure. By developing novel ways to prevent ocular herpes in general, Drs. Shukla and Tiwari hope to prevent Herpes Simplex from causing blindness.

Drs. Shukla and Tiwari have, in their previous research, determined how it is that Herpes Simplex enters the eye, and currently plan to use novel peptides as a means of halting infection resultant from Herpes Simplex. These peptides are expected to block the infection, and to prevent existent infections from spreading.

This research will help to create a way to prevent ocular herpes and in doing so, the hope is that one of the major causes of blindness can be eradicated.

Dr. Shukla received his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from UIC, and is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. He is also the Director of the Ocular Virology Lab. Dr. Tiwari is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Ocular Virology Lab, and received his Ph.D. Biotechnology from Banaras Hindu University in India .

by Cindy Veldhuis, Staff Writer