Bench to Bedside and Back

The Clinical Research Unit at Duke Eye Center is Delivering Hope to Patients Now, and in the Future

BY VICKI FRYE

For more than three consecutive decades, innovations in research and a fundamental commitment to patient care have resulted in Duke Ophthalmology being ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News and World Report.

The Clinical Research Unit (CRU) at Duke Eye Center plays a meaningful role in the department earning this perennial accolade and is a vital contributor to the overall mission of curing eye disease worldwide. Insights gained from the CRU’s patient-oriented studies position our acclaimed specialists at the forefront of ophthalmology and equip them in their discovery of new methods of detection, diagnosis, treatment and prevention; delivering hope to patients of all ages who are battling challenging eye conditions.

“Duke Eye Center is really special. There is an amazing group of clinician scientists here—our research is always ethical, something I can be proud of, and I know is changing the world of science and patient care,” says Cynthia Toth, MD, Joseph

A.C. Wadsworth Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology and Vice Chair of Clinical Research.

A Team Effort

Every member of the Duke Eye Center CRU shares a passion for partnering with patients to drive research that leads to continuous improvements in the standards of ophthalmic care and disease prevention. With over 40 clinical research faculty, the CRU currently has over 100 approved studies (and counting) of which more than a third have active participants, and another dozen are being guided through the Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval process.

It’s patients—in search of better eye health—who generously volunteer to take part in trials that make it possible for the physician scientists leading the Duke Ophthalmology CRU to conduct groundbreaking investigations. From retrospective departmental studies to federal, foundation and industrysponsored programs across specialties including pediatric ophthalmology, corneal disease, glaucoma and retina diseases, each patient and their family is a catalyst in the discovery of promising new treatments and cures for eye disease.

Each proposed study within the expanding CRU portfolio undergoes a comprehensive review by a respected group comprised of CRU leadership, members of the Duke Eye Center finance team and a faculty advisory board. Together, they authorize studies and cultivate stakeholder confidence in the scientific integrity, quality, academic productivity, regulatory compliance and financial viability of all research conducted by the department. Collectively, this cross-functional panel empowers the lifechanging work of our dedicated clinical research investigators and willing patient participants.

CRU Research Clusters and Medical Directors

Cornea

Anthony Kuo, MD

Victor Perez, MD

Glaucoma

Joanne Wen, MD

Neuro-ophthalmology

Sidney M. Gospe, III, MD, PhD

Pediatric ophthalmology

Grace Prakalapakorn, MD

Plastics

Julie Woodward, MD

Retina

Lejla Vajzovic, MD, FASRS

Ramiro Maldonado MD

Oleg Alekseev MD, PhD