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Young Investigators
Personal Profile Young Investigators In 2004, the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society (TFOS) instituted its Associate Advisory Board (AAB). Composed of clinicians and researchers who are 35 years of age or younger, the purpose of this international board is to create opportunities for junior members to: 1) attend key conferences through travel grants; 2) interact with the field’s veterans; and 3) further the young investigators’ own research by establishing a network of mentors and colleagues from around the world who are engaged in complementary endeavors. To find out more about these young investigators we spoke to AAB cochairs Pedram Hamrah, MD, and Stefano Barabino, MD.* Myrna Serapião, MD, a board member, also shared her story with us.
STEFANO BARABINO, MD
Dr. Barabino recently completed a research fellowship at Schepens Eye Research Institute in Boston, MA, and is currently working in the Department of Neurosciences, Ophthalmology, and Genetics at the University of Genoa in Italy. THE OCULAR SURFACE When did you become involved with TFOS and how did that lead to your becoming cochair of the AAB? BARABINO I attended my first TFOS meeting in 2000 and was impressed by the learned yet friendly atmosphere. I realized then how important involvement in this interdisciplinary community of specialists could be to the development of my career. So, I approached the society and asked what might be done to facilitate more active involvement of younger professionals like myself. I was not the only one thinking ©2005 Ethis Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
along these lines. Together with TFOS Executive Director Amy G. Sullivan and Pedram Hamrah, the idea was born of having a group of people within the society that would promote the interests of those just starting their careers. TOS What do you see as the Advisory Board’s major accomplishments thus far?
From left: Pedram Hamrah, MD, Amy Sullivan, and Stefano Barabino, MD. Far right: Myrna Serapião.
BARABINO One of our main goals is to create networking opportunities so that younger TFOS members can interact with established researchers and clinicians, as well as with professionals in the corporate sector. One of the accomplishments of which I am most proud is that we have facilitated introductions that have led to young investigators being offered positions in important research institutions and major pharmaceutical companies. In helping to make such connections, our ultimate goal is to advance the field by ensuring that talented individuals find the best places to pursue their work. TOS How has involvement with TFOS helped your career? BARABINO It has given me access to an international scientific network of colleagues with whom I can share ideas, information and make new collaborations. Generally speaking, one limitation that young investigators feel keenly is their limited ability to interact with researchers from many other countries.
ological aspects of the disease. [Editor’s Note: see Barabino S, Shen L, Chen L, Rashid S, Rolando M, Dana MR. The controlled environment chamber: a new mouse model for dry eyes. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2005;46:2766-71.] Presently, I am studying the immunology of the cornea in dry eye, since knowledge in this area is still limited. In my opinion, animal models of dry eye could be the key to understanding some aspects of the pathophysiology of the disease, which in turn will lead to new therapies. PEDRAM HAMRAH, MD
Dr. Hamrah is a resident in the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at the University of Louisville, KY. Prior to this he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Schepens Eye Research Institute in Boston, MA. TOS How did you become involved with TFOS?
TOS Tell us about your own work.
HAMRAH I met David A. Sullivan, PhD, president of TFOS, during my fellowship at the Schepens Eye Research Institute, where he is an associate professor and senior scientist. He told me of the society’s upcoming meeting and suggested that I submit an abstract
BARABINO I am most interested in the immunology of the ocular surface as it relates to dry eye disease. I developed a new mouse model of dry eye that focuses on some of the pathophysi-
* Other co-chairs of the Associate Advisory Board: Drs. Pablo Argueso, Leonardo P. Borges, Emiliano Ghinelli, Andre C. Romano, Frank Schirra, Ali R. Djalilian, Mahnaz Mouri, Li-Li Chen, and Eiki Goto.
THE OCULAR SURFACE / OCTOBER 2005, VOL. 3, NO. 4 / www.theocularsurface.com
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PERSONAL PROFILE / Young Investigators
based on my recent work. The society accepted the abstract and awarded me a travel grant. I enjoyed the meeting so much that I joined TFOS. However, I soon noticed that there were no specific programs that aimed to meet the needs of younger members. I proposed several ideas to help younger members become more involved in the society. Further discussions with like-minded members and the society’s Executive Director resulted in formation of the AAB. TOS The AAB has been in existence for a little over a year. How do you see it developing in the future? HAMRAH We have a 5-year plan that sets forth our goals, one of which is to draw our peers in related fields into ocular surface research and the work of the society. We have actively participated in the planning of a series of networking nights in conjunction with major conferences in cities such as Rome and Tokyo. We are also expanding the information contained in our member database to include details about the research interests and activities of the society members. Additionally, we are compiling a comprehensive, international database of ocular surface laboratories. For this we are collecting not just the basic facts, but are soliciting input from postdoctoral fellows who have worked in these labs. The goal is to provide junior members with information that will assist them in making decisions about where they might best pursue their research interests and effectively develop their careers. A TFOS Web site tailored to the needs of its junior members is also in development. TOS How have you benefited from your involvement with TFOS and the AAB? HAMRAH Thanks to TFOS, I have had numerous opportunities to meet and develop relationships with some of the most renowned figures in the field. As a result of making contacts through TFOS, I’ve been able to initiate collaborations related to my own research with laboratories in Japan, Europe, and the 216
USA. Without the trust that develops by getting to know people personally, these collaborations would likely never have materialized—or they would have been much more difficult to establish.
ships, for junior members to contribute to collaborative projects.
TOS Tell us about your research.
SERAPIÃO My doctoral work at the Federal University of São Paulo dealt with conjunctival limbal grafts performed with amniotic membrane in eyes with total limbal stem cell deficiency. We found that while this procedure was quite useful for restoring the corneal epithelium in these eyes, longterm viability was greatly influenced by whether or not the patient had preoperative dry eye. [Santos MS, Gomes JA, Hofling-Lima AL, Rizzo LV, Romano AC, Belfort R Jr.: Survival Analysis of Conjunctival Limbal Grafts and Amniotic Membrane Transplantation in Eyes With Total Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency. Am J Ophthalmol. 2005 Aug;140(2):305-6.]
HAMRAH I’m currently working with Gary Foulks, MD, at the University of Louisville. We are using wavefront analysis of dry eye patients and are standardizing the use of lissamine green in ocular surface staining. Prior to this I was a postdoctoral fellow in M. Reza Dana’s immunology laboratory at the Schepens Eye Research Institute. Our work showed that, in addition to the known Langerhans cells in the corneal epithelium, at least three bone marrowderived cell subsets also reside in the normal corneal stroma. [Hamrah P, Liu Y, Zhang Q, Dana MR: The corneal stroma is endowed with a significant number of resident dendritic cells. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2003 Feb;44(2):581-9.] We don’t yet know the exact function or implications of these cells, but understanding how they are implicated in inflammatory responses and immune-related diseases might suggest novel immunomodulatory strategies for use with corneal transplantation, as well as for treatment of dry eye and other inflammatory corneal and ocular surface disorders.
TOS Tell us about some of your work to date.
TOS How has involvement with TFOS and the advisory board influenced your career? SERAPIÃO For one thing, my TFOS involvement created the opportunity for me to work with researchers here at the Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, where we are investigating the effect of topical and systemic nerve growth factor (NGF) in a murine model of dry eye. TOS What areas of ocular surface research are of greatest interest to you at present?
MYRNA SERAPIÃO DOS SANTOS, MD
An AAB team member from South America, Dr. Serapião is a clinical and research fellow in the University of Rome Campus Bio-Medico Department of Ophthalmology in Rome, Italy. She is also a researcher at the Ocular Surface Advanced Center at the Vision Institute, Federal University of São Paulo in Brazil. TOS As a member of the AAB what do you hope to accomplish? SERAPIÃO I think it is important to develop standards for collaborative research and to create opportunities, perhaps through sponsored fellow-
SERAPIÃO Having worked with patients who suffer from Stevens-Johnson syndrome, chemical burns, ocular cicatricial pemphigoid, and other debilitating ocular surface conditions, I am extremely interested in developing new treatments for the most severe forms of dry eye. This is key because the extreme dry eye state that exists in such cases limits other treatment options for these individuals. For example, surgical interventions have a low success rate unless the dry eye condition can be corrected prior to attempting to rehabilitate the ocular surface. If we can effectively treat the ocular desiccation, this will be an important step forward. 䢇
THE OCULAR SURFACE / OCTOBER 2005, VOL. 3, NO. 4 / www.theocularsurface.com
STEFANO BARABINO, MD
Dr. Barabino recently completed a research fellowship at Schepens Eye Research Institute in Boston, MA, and is currently working in the Department of Neurosciences, Ophthalmology, and Genetics at the University of Genoa in Italy. THE OCULAR SURFACE When did you become involved with TFOS and how did that lead to your becoming cochair of the AAB? BARABINO I attended my first TFOS meeting in 2000 and was impressed by the learned yet friendly atmosphere. I realized then how important involvement in this interdisciplinary community of specialists could be to the development of my career. So, I approached the society and asked what might be done to facilitate more active involvement of younger professionals like myself. I was not the only one thinking ©2005 Ethis Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
along these lines. Together with TFOS Executive Director Amy G. Sullivan and Pedram Hamrah, the idea was born of having a group of people within the society that would promote the interests of those just starting their careers. TOS What do you see as the Advisory Board’s major accomplishments thus far?
From left: Pedram Hamrah, MD, Amy Sullivan, and Stefano Barabino, MD. Far right: Myrna Serapião.
BARABINO One of our main goals is to create networking opportunities so that younger TFOS members can interact with established researchers and clinicians, as well as with professionals in the corporate sector. One of the accomplishments of which I am most proud is that we have facilitated introductions that have led to young investigators being offered positions in important research institutions and major pharmaceutical companies. In helping to make such connections, our ultimate goal is to advance the field by ensuring that talented individuals find the best places to pursue their work. TOS How has involvement with TFOS helped your career? BARABINO It has given me access to an international scientific network of colleagues with whom I can share ideas, information and make new collaborations. Generally speaking, one limitation that young investigators feel keenly is their limited ability to interact with researchers from many other countries.
ological aspects of the disease. [Editor’s Note: see Barabino S, Shen L, Chen L, Rashid S, Rolando M, Dana MR. The controlled environment chamber: a new mouse model for dry eyes. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2005;46:2766-71.] Presently, I am studying the immunology of the cornea in dry eye, since knowledge in this area is still limited. In my opinion, animal models of dry eye could be the key to understanding some aspects of the pathophysiology of the disease, which in turn will lead to new therapies. PEDRAM HAMRAH, MD
Dr. Hamrah is a resident in the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at the University of Louisville, KY. Prior to this he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Schepens Eye Research Institute in Boston, MA. TOS How did you become involved with TFOS?
TOS Tell us about your own work.
HAMRAH I met David A. Sullivan, PhD, president of TFOS, during my fellowship at the Schepens Eye Research Institute, where he is an associate professor and senior scientist. He told me of the society’s upcoming meeting and suggested that I submit an abstract
BARABINO I am most interested in the immunology of the ocular surface as it relates to dry eye disease. I developed a new mouse model of dry eye that focuses on some of the pathophysi-
* Other co-chairs of the Associate Advisory Board: Drs. Pablo Argueso, Leonardo P. Borges, Emiliano Ghinelli, Andre C. Romano, Frank Schirra, Ali R. Djalilian, Mahnaz Mouri, Li-Li Chen, and Eiki Goto.
THE OCULAR SURFACE / OCTOBER 2005, VOL. 3, NO. 4 / www.theocularsurface.com
215
PERSONAL PROFILE / Young Investigators
based on my recent work. The society accepted the abstract and awarded me a travel grant. I enjoyed the meeting so much that I joined TFOS. However, I soon noticed that there were no specific programs that aimed to meet the needs of younger members. I proposed several ideas to help younger members become more involved in the society. Further discussions with like-minded members and the society’s Executive Director resulted in formation of the AAB. TOS The AAB has been in existence for a little over a year. How do you see it developing in the future? HAMRAH We have a 5-year plan that sets forth our goals, one of which is to draw our peers in related fields into ocular surface research and the work of the society. We have actively participated in the planning of a series of networking nights in conjunction with major conferences in cities such as Rome and Tokyo. We are also expanding the information contained in our member database to include details about the research interests and activities of the society members. Additionally, we are compiling a comprehensive, international database of ocular surface laboratories. For this we are collecting not just the basic facts, but are soliciting input from postdoctoral fellows who have worked in these labs. The goal is to provide junior members with information that will assist them in making decisions about where they might best pursue their research interests and effectively develop their careers. A TFOS Web site tailored to the needs of its junior members is also in development. TOS How have you benefited from your involvement with TFOS and the AAB? HAMRAH Thanks to TFOS, I have had numerous opportunities to meet and develop relationships with some of the most renowned figures in the field. As a result of making contacts through TFOS, I’ve been able to initiate collaborations related to my own research with laboratories in Japan, Europe, and the 216
USA. Without the trust that develops by getting to know people personally, these collaborations would likely never have materialized—or they would have been much more difficult to establish.
ships, for junior members to contribute to collaborative projects.
TOS Tell us about your research.
SERAPIÃO My doctoral work at the Federal University of São Paulo dealt with conjunctival limbal grafts performed with amniotic membrane in eyes with total limbal stem cell deficiency. We found that while this procedure was quite useful for restoring the corneal epithelium in these eyes, longterm viability was greatly influenced by whether or not the patient had preoperative dry eye. [Santos MS, Gomes JA, Hofling-Lima AL, Rizzo LV, Romano AC, Belfort R Jr.: Survival Analysis of Conjunctival Limbal Grafts and Amniotic Membrane Transplantation in Eyes With Total Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency. Am J Ophthalmol. 2005 Aug;140(2):305-6.]
HAMRAH I’m currently working with Gary Foulks, MD, at the University of Louisville. We are using wavefront analysis of dry eye patients and are standardizing the use of lissamine green in ocular surface staining. Prior to this I was a postdoctoral fellow in M. Reza Dana’s immunology laboratory at the Schepens Eye Research Institute. Our work showed that, in addition to the known Langerhans cells in the corneal epithelium, at least three bone marrowderived cell subsets also reside in the normal corneal stroma. [Hamrah P, Liu Y, Zhang Q, Dana MR: The corneal stroma is endowed with a significant number of resident dendritic cells. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2003 Feb;44(2):581-9.] We don’t yet know the exact function or implications of these cells, but understanding how they are implicated in inflammatory responses and immune-related diseases might suggest novel immunomodulatory strategies for use with corneal transplantation, as well as for treatment of dry eye and other inflammatory corneal and ocular surface disorders.
TOS Tell us about some of your work to date.
TOS How has involvement with TFOS and the advisory board influenced your career? SERAPIÃO For one thing, my TFOS involvement created the opportunity for me to work with researchers here at the Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, where we are investigating the effect of topical and systemic nerve growth factor (NGF) in a murine model of dry eye. TOS What areas of ocular surface research are of greatest interest to you at present?
MYRNA SERAPIÃO DOS SANTOS, MD
An AAB team member from South America, Dr. Serapião is a clinical and research fellow in the University of Rome Campus Bio-Medico Department of Ophthalmology in Rome, Italy. She is also a researcher at the Ocular Surface Advanced Center at the Vision Institute, Federal University of São Paulo in Brazil. TOS As a member of the AAB what do you hope to accomplish? SERAPIÃO I think it is important to develop standards for collaborative research and to create opportunities, perhaps through sponsored fellow-
SERAPIÃO Having worked with patients who suffer from Stevens-Johnson syndrome, chemical burns, ocular cicatricial pemphigoid, and other debilitating ocular surface conditions, I am extremely interested in developing new treatments for the most severe forms of dry eye. This is key because the extreme dry eye state that exists in such cases limits other treatment options for these individuals. For example, surgical interventions have a low success rate unless the dry eye condition can be corrected prior to attempting to rehabilitate the ocular surface. If we can effectively treat the ocular desiccation, this will be an important step forward. 䢇
THE OCULAR SURFACE / OCTOBER 2005, VOL. 3, NO. 4 / www.theocularsurface.com