Researcher Earns Grant to Study Causes of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Ana J. Chucair-Elliott, Ph.D., an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and research member of Dean McGee Eye Institute, has been funded by the BrightFocus Foundation to investigate how aging, diet and inflammation contribute to retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) degeneration, a deterioration of the layer of cells in the back of the eye.

BrightFocus has awarded Chucair-Elliott a three-year, $409,500 grant from its Macular Degeneration Research program. Failure of the RPE is a key feature of age-related macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of vision loss in Americans 65 and older. In addition to the grant, Chucair-Elliott received BrightFocus’ 2025 Elizabeth Anderson Award for Macular Degeneration Research.

“As a biomedical science researcher, my goal is to provide mechanistic knowledge that leads us to the discovery of targets for therapies to restore and preserve vision,” Chucair-Elliott said. “This is not just a scientific curiosity to me. Having my own grandmother suffer the challenges of progressive central vision loss due to age-related macular degeneration made this research topic personal. I witnessed how this social, active, independent loved one experienced the struggles of anxiety, depression and inevitable life changes that come from losing connection with the world as others see it. This personal perspective has fueled my enthusiasm and research.”

In this study, Chucair-Elliott aims to learn how certain immune cells in the eye (called macrophages) contribute to damage in a layer of the retina (RPE) as people age or eat an unhealthy diet, two key risk factors for age-related macular degeneration.

“We want to find out if eating a high-fat, high-carbohydrate diet causes helpful immune cells in the aging eye to become harmful, which could disrupt how genes work in the retina,” she said. “Right now, there are gaps in our understanding of how these changes lead to vision problems like age-related macular degeneration. We hope our findings will help guide new treatments to keep the retina healthy as we age. One key goal is to identify specific cell targets that could be used to stop or reverse harmful aging in the retina and reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration.”

BrightFocus is currently funding 49 active macular degeneration research grants worldwide, an investment of nearly $16 million in studies aimed at improving early detection and diagnosis, advancing treatment options, and uncovering the root causes of disease onset. These grants are highly competitive and awarded following a rigorous review process led by expert scientific advisory committees of leading researchers in the field.

“This year’s grant recipients represent some of the boldest, most promising investigators in vision and brain health research,” said BrightFocus President and CEO Stacy Pagos Haller. “Their groundbreaking work brings hope to millions around the world with these debilitating conditions.”