James Walsh, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been honored with a four-year $350,000 career development award from Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB). The award helps promising junior ophthalmology faculty become independent researchers.
Walsh studies autoimmune diseases, which is when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body. He has uncovered a vital immunologic hub within the eye — an organ long considered to lack immune system activity — that plays a crucial role in separating and managing immune responses to protect the delicate retina from potential damage.
The award will support Walsh’s exploration of the basic workings of this newly discovered tissue, with the hope that the knowledge will move the field closer to targeted treatments for eye-specific autoimmune diseases. Established in 1990, the award has supported 246 researchers, contributing to major breakthroughs in the field of ophthalmology. RPB has invested more than $418 million into eye research. For more information on RPB’s grants, including a list of institutional and individual grantees, visit RPB’s website.
