Estelle (Sunghee) Park, an assistant professor in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, has been awarded a $450,000 grant over three years from the BrightFocus Foundation’s New Investigator Grant Program in Macular Degeneration Research.

The competitive award supports Park’s project, “Uncovering the Hidden Link Between Liver Health and Macular Degeneration,” which aims to advance understanding of one of the leading causes of blindness in older adults.

Age-related macular degeneration affects approximately 20 million adults in the United States and is the leading cause of vision loss among Americans age 65 and older. While current treatments can slow disease progression, they do not address the underlying systemic drivers.

Park’s research takes a novel approach by examining how liver health may influence eye disease. Her team will develop a human liver–retina chip to study how age-related metabolic dysfunction in the liver can trigger immune responses that damage retinal pigment epithelial cells — a key factor in vision loss.

By uncovering this cross-organ connection, the research could open the door to new therapies that not only treat symptoms but also prevent disease onset.

“Understanding how different organ systems interact in age-related diseases is critical,” Park said. “This work has the potential to shift how we approach prevention and treatment of macular degeneration.”

BrightFocus Foundation grants are highly competitive and awarded based on rigorous review by scientific advisory committees composed of leading experts in the field.