ROCKVILLE, Md.—The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Foundation has announced the winner of the 2023 Genetech Career Development Award for Underrepresented Minority Emerging Vision Scientists. Edmund Arthur, OD, PhD, will receive a two-year grant totaling $100,000 to support research and personnel costs for establishing an independent vision research program. The Genentech Award is intended to provide early-career URM investigators with an opportunity to explore novel and innovative research project ideas. An optometrist and a vision scientist, Arthur is currently an assistant professor of optometry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His research is investigating a novel retinal vascular biomarker for early diabetic retinopathy (DR) detection and disease monitoring, known as the peripheral capillary free zones.

Genentech is a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat patients with serious and life-threatening medical conditions.

"This award provides critical support for my research career," said Arthur. "The data from this two-year pilot study will inform several future research projects in diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME) in my lab." Arthur noted this includes a biological variable model for screening and early detection of DR and DME in underserved populations.

"This will be a three-year cross-sectional study aimed at developing a biological variable model that includes ethnicity, HbA1c, age, and sex in screening for individuals at risk of worse diabetes associated retinal neurodegeneration in underserved populations."

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology is the largest eye and vision research organization in the world. Members include approximately 10,000 eye and vision researchers from over 75 countries. ARVO advances research worldwide into understanding the visual system and preventing, treating and curing its disorders. As part of the award, ARVO will also match Arthur with a mentor outside his home institution to provide support for his career advancement.

For more information about the Genentech Career Development Award for Underrepresented Minority Emerging Vision Scientists, click here.