Research News

Deepak Shukla receives Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness Grant for ocular herpes project

Deepak Shukla, PhD, director of the Ocular Virology Lab and assistant professor in the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, and his co-investigator, Dr. Vaibhav Tiwari, have been awarded a grant from the Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness. Dr. Shukla will use the award to help fund his research project entitled, “Identifying the receptors crucial to herpetic damage to the human trabecular meshwork.”

Dr. Shukla’s Lab is at the forefront of ocular herpes research. This newest project will investigate the role of the herpes glycoproteins – molecules important for immune cell recognition- and cellular proteins that serve as receptors for the virus on the surface of the trabecular meshwork. The trabecular meshwork is an area of tissue located around the base of the cornea and is responsible for draining the aqueous humour from the eye.

Recent data has suggested that the herpes virus can damage the cells of the trabecular meshwork and cause an increase in intraoulcar pressue, which is a significant risk factor for developing glaucoma. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of permenant blindness in the the United States.

By identifying the ocular herpes gloycprotein receptor that plays a major role during viral entry into the trabecular meshwork cells, this study will provide impotant information for the design of receptor targeted inhibitors. These inhibitors will prevent viral entry into the trabecular meshwork of the eye.

“The ISPB award would greatly benefit our research on identifying the mediators and the mechanism of herpes infection of the eye. I thank ISPB for acknowledging the importance of our ongoing research in this area. I also would like to thank my co-investigator, Dr. Vaibhav Tiwari, for his relentless focus on this project,” said Dr. Shukla.

Link to Scientific Abstract