BUSNA Honors Birdshot Research Scientists

March is Women’s History Month, and Birdshot Uveitis Society of North America is proud to honor five remarkable women who are researching birdshot uveitis.

Marie-Josée Aubin, MD, MSc, MPH is a well-respected uveitis specialist at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in Montréal, Quebec. As an Assistant Professor at the University of Montreal she has two appointments, one in the Department of Ophthalmology at University of Montreal Faculty of Medicine, and the second in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at University of Montreal School of Public Health. She and her colleagues are establishing a Biobank for Uveo-Retinal Diseases. They are also using multimodal imaging and electrophysiology to study the evolution of infectious and inflammatory diseases such as birdshot uveitis.

Larissa Derzko-Dzulynsky, MD, FRCSC, is a Clinical Physician and Associate Professor at the University of Toronto Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences (DOVS). She is interested in finding the causes of BSCR (birdshot chorioretinitis). Dr. Derzko and her team are comparing scRNAseq profiles of immune cells in people with active birdshot and people in remission. Their efforts are leading to improved diagnosis and therapies for birdshot patients. Dr. Derzko was featured in a widely read BUSNA blog post in December, 2020.

Lynn M. Hassman, MD, PhD, is a leading uveitis specialist and research scientist at Washington University in St. Louis. A clinician and Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, she leads a team that is investigating precision medicine protocols, immune cell profiles in uveitis and birdshot uveitis patients, and single cell RNA sequencing of aqueous fluid. They hope to identify differences in gene expression between clinically defined diseases. In a recent blogpost, BUSNA commended Dr. Hassman on her enthusiasm for collaborating with other research institutions in her investigation of this rare disease.

Lucia Sobrin, MD, MPH, is a leading clinician and researcher at Massachusetts Eye and Ear where she serves as Director of the Morse Laser Center and Co-Director of Ocular Immunology and Uveitis Fellowship. She is also the Charles Edward Whitten Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. Beyond the genetics that Dr. Sobrin and her colleagues are investigating, they are also considering environmental factors that may determine which HLA-A29 people develop birdshot uveitis. In 2021, Dr. Sobrin presented a paper detailing her imaging investigations of birdshot patients, and this work is helping other ophthalmologists diagnose birdshot uveitis in their patients.

Jennifer E. Thorne, MD PhD, is an internationally recognized uveitis specialist. She serves as Cross Family Professor of Ophthalmology and Chief, Division of Ocular Immunology at Wilmer Eye Institute of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Thorne and her colleagues have been studying the likelihood of remission in birdshot patients, genetic markers such as HLA-A29, and the imaging data of birdshot symptoms. They also collaborate with researchers in other major centers in the US and Europe. Dr. Thorne and her team are helping ophthalmologists identify birdshot uveitis sooner. In October 2022, BUSNA hosted a well-attended webinar in which Dr. Thorne updated birdshot patients about her most recent research.

BUSNA thanks each of these accomplished women and their associates. They have made a difference in the lives of many birdshot uveitis patients. Please visit BUSNA-supported Birdshot Research to learn more about their work.

So far, BUSNA has donated a total of $15,916. toward research projects being led by these women. As we aim for clearer vision, we hope to continue to support these and other birdshot uveitis research projects.

Please consider making a donation to Birdshot Uveitis Society of North America. Our volunteer-run organization appreciates all contributions.