Supporting Innovative Research to Improve Human Health“The memorable thing for me has been to see the tubes of DNA that we deal with really have a face behind them. I have been introduced to people willing to give me their DNA, who have no idea what is happening to the health of their family members, but have hope and excitement. The sense of gratification they have is enormous. It feels good when you are doing something that touches so many people’s lives.” Anand Swaroop, Ph.D. |
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Anand Swaroop needs only to look into his father’s eyes to know his work on retinal and macular diseases at the W.K. Kellogg Eye Center is important. His father, Shanti Sarup, has age-related macular degeneration (AMD) — a degenerative eye disease that affects millions; thus, Swaroop is studying a disease that one day could impair his own vision. By studying genetic changes associated with AMD and the cells that produce photoreceptors in the eye, and by investigating how cells die, Swaroop and researchers in his lab are working to design effective treatments for AMD and other eye ailments.