NIH Grant to Fund IU Study

Ashay Bhatwadekar is the leading the research. (photo courtesy IU School of Medicine)

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a five-year, $1.9 million grant to the Indiana University School of Medicine to study a vision-threatening condition caused by diabetes. The grant will fund research aimed at discovering a treatment to manage the condition, known as diabetic retinopathy.

The research is being led by Ashay Bhatwadekar, an assistant professor of ophthalmology at IU School of Medicine and professor of pharmacology and toxicology at IUPUI. He says diabetic retinopathy is a complex condition.

"In addition to its underlying pathogenic mechanisms, an individual’s circadian rhythm – or internal clock – plays a key role in the development of this condition," said Bhatwadekar. "Our lab is studying the impact that disturbed circadian rhythms have in the development of DR and whether the regulation of these rhythms may present a treatment strategy for the management of this condition."

The National Eye Institute says DR is the most common diabetic eye disease and is the leading cause of blindness in American adults, with about 7 million people living with the condition.

You can learn more about the study by clicking here.