The Bert M. Glaser, MD Award for Innovative Research in Retina

The Bert M. Glaser, MD Award for Innovative Research in Retina is sponsored by Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Foundation. Recognizes early-career investigators for novel discoveries in retinal disease mechanisms or treatments.

2026 Bert M. Glaser, MD Award for Innovative Retina Research Announced | Newswise 2026 Bert M. Glaser, MD Award for Innovative Retina Research Announced Awardee recognized for outstanding contributions to gene therapy for retinal degeneration 22-Jan-2026 at 11:00 AM EST , by Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Newswise — Rockville, Md.

—The ARVO Foundation congratulates Anil Kumar Chekuri, PhD — 2026 recipient of the Bert M. Glaser, MD Award for Innovative Research in Retina. The award recognizes an early-career investigator who has discovered a novel drug, technique, or the understanding of a mechanism of disease that impacts the understanding and/or treatment of a retinal disease or condition.

Chekuri is an instructor in ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and a principal investigator at the Schepens Eye Research Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear.

His research focuses on developing a treatment for vision loss in Familial Dysautonomia (FD) — a rare genetic neurodegenerative disorder caused by defective splicing of the gene that provides instructions for making the elongator complex protein 1 (ELP1) found in a variety of cells throughout the body.

“Although FD primarily affects the nervous system, many patients develop progressive optic neuropathy, for which no therapy exists,” explains Chekuri. “Using a humanized mouse model, I identified retinal ganglion cells as the most vulnerable cell type and established quantifiable retinal outcomes to evaluate therapeutic efficacy.

Building on this work, I helped demonstrate for the first time that generalized splice-modulatory therapies including orally delivered small-molecule splicing modulators and gene-based splice-corrective approaches (ExSpeU1) can prevent retinal degeneration in FD. ” Chekuri notes this work establishes splicing modulation as a practical, disease-modifying strategy for FD-associated vision loss.

This award provides $10,000 to the recipient, funded by the Glaser family through the ARVO Foundation, and named in memory of Bert M. Glaser, MD — a long-time retina researcher, surgeon, innovator and teacher whose life was cut short in 2017 after a brief illness.

Chekuri says the award is especially meaningful to him at this early stage of his independent career as It affirms the value of his efforts to translate fundamental discoveries in retinal biology into practical therapies for patients with inherited vision loss.

“This recognition provides important momentum as I build my research program, strengthens my confidence to pursue innovative and higher risk ideas, and helps increase the visibility of my work within the retinal research community,” he says.

“Most importantly, it supports my long-term goal of developing disease-modifying treatments that can meaningfully improve the lives of patients affected by blinding retinal disorders. ” For more information about the Bert M.

Glaser, MD Award for Innovative Research in Retina, visit ARVO’s website The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) is the largest eye and vision research organization in the world. Members include approximately 11,000 eye and vision researchers from over 71 countries. ARVO advances research worldwide into understanding the visual system and preventing, treating and curing its disorders.

Learn more at ARVO. org . Established in 2001, the ARVO Foundation for Eye Research raises funds through partnerships, grants and sponsorships to support ARVO’s world-class education and career development resources for eye and vision researchers of all stages of career and education.

Learn more at ARVOFoundation. org .

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