News — Rockville, Md.—The ARVO Foundation announced today that Subrata Batabyal, PhD, has won the 2025 Carl Camras Translational Research Award.
The $12,000 award is granted annually to early-career investigators working in areas of translational research. The intent is to recognize young researchers who have exhibited excellence in research, and also their fundamental scientific discoveries, concepts and novel technologies which have led to, or have the promise of leading to, clinical application.
Currently director of nonclinical development at Nanoscop, Batabyal is recognized for his pioneering work on optogenetic vision restoration, a treatment for blindness caused by inherited retinal diseases.
"Our approach uses an ambient light-sensing protein — Multi-Characteristic Opsin (MCO) — that makes the remaining healthy cells in the damaged retina light-sensitive," explains Batabyal. "The therapy works with regular daylight, requires no special devices, and has shown promising results in clinical trials, offering hope for patients with various forms of inherited blindness. We've also developed a novel laser-based delivery method that precisely targets these proteins to specific retinal layers without using viruses, with the potential to make the treatment safer and more efficient."
Supported by the ARVO Foundation, the award Batabyal will be presented with honors Dr. Carl Camras, who is highly respected for his work as a glaucoma specialist and a research scientist.
“I am deeply honored to receive the ARVO 2025 Carl Camras Translational Research Award,” says Batabyal. “This recognition celebrates not only my work in optogenetic vision restoration but also the invaluable contributions of my colleagues, collaborators and patients who participated in our clinical trials. I remain committed to advancing gene therapies and developing innovative treatment options for patients with inherited retinal diseases.”
For more information about the Carl Camras Translational Research Award, visit ARVO’s website.
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The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) is the largest eye and vision research organization in the world. Members include approximately 10,000 eye and vision researchers from over 75 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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