RESEARCH DISCOVERY

. . . FROM BENCH TO BEDSIDE

Private dollars keep laboratories at the forefront of emerging technologies, maximizing productivity.

Breakthrough and ongoing research at UCSF Ophthalmology includes Koret Vision Research Laboratories, the Francis I. Proctor Foundation for Research in Ophthalmology, student research, Core Grant Modules, and clinical trials.

UCSF leaders in vision research

The Department of Ophthalmology and the Francis I. Proctor Foundation for Research in Ophthalmology are dedicated to understanding the causes and mechanisms of eye diseases, with the goals of slowing, halting, and preventing deterioration of sight. Scientific research, patient care, and teaching are intertwined. Research that increases basic knowledge provides the foundation for advances in patient care. In addition to providing leadership in ophthalmology nationally and worldwide, the UCSF faculty shares its expertise and knowledge among doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, as well as with residents and fellows who are becoming leaders for the next generation.

How private gifts are leveraged for talented research teams

Vision science at UCSF currently ranks among the top three eye institutions nationally in receipt of grants for sight-saving research, according to a recent survey that examines National Institutes for Health (NIH) funding. U.S. News and World Report again names UCSF Ophthalmology among the top ten in the nation for patient care. Many of these research projects were at first seed funded by generous contributors to That Man May See.

Although more than 70 percent of NIH applications are denied support, 18 UCSF clinical and laboratory scientists were awarded $7.6 million in NIH grant funds in 2009-2010, among the top five recipients in the country. New grants fund both basic science and clinical projects. Research devoted to aspects of retinal physiology and disease, glaucoma physiology and disease, and external and immunological disease demonstrate the breadth and depth of the UCSF vision science.

“We have assembled a remarkably talented group of researchers who are doing outstanding work across the spectrum of eye research,” according to Dr. Stephen McLeod, chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at UCSF. “From basic visual sciences through the development of new therapeutic agents, devices, and procedures to the implementation of clinical trials that determine the most effective strategies for broad implementation locally and globally, these numerous NIH awards allow our outstanding faculty to take the next steps, advancing research that brings new solutions to our patients.”

Seed funds launch innovative ideas

The National Institutes of Health is generally reluctant to fund early, untested ideas. The process for requesting funding from the NIH is time consuming as well as intensely competitive. A researcher may need from six months to three years to prepare a compelling application – laboratory evidence and professional publications that detail promising findings must be developed and submitted with the project description. Private seed funding allows vision scientists to accelerate the speed with which research can be initiated, so they can test and gather evidence for innovative hypotheses. Many early vision research studies at UCSF Ophthalmology are first supported by That Man May See. This initiates new, high potential, research projects with a tremendous capacity to succeed. Once the work is proven successful, faculty teams  apply to the NIH for funding. That Man May See leverages every gift to help attract others.

Bridge funds speed results

“Bridge funding from private sources can provide a lifeline to a laboratory to keep its investigation going until federal funding is restored,” explains David Copenhagen, PhD. A typical NIH grant provides five years of funding, with no guarantee of renewal. This leads to gaps in funding that can stall research. Even nationally recognized scientists have grant applications denied, falling just on the wrong side of the funding cut-off. The time needed to revise an application guarantees a delay of at least nine months. This opens a dangerous gap in cash flow, dramatically reducing a laboratory’s capacity to cover salaries and other costs.