By Rene Wisely, contributing writer
Susmit Suvas, Ph.D., has his eyes on the future, and his vision has been rewarded.
Dr. Suvas, an assistant professor in Oakland University’s Department of Biological Sciences, won a rare National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Eye Institute grant for exploratory/developmental research. “Because no one has studied this before, it’s considered high risk but the NIH sees the benefits it might bring,” he explains.
He is studying the nerves of the eye and how their secretions and immunology play a role in helping or hurting the cornea of a person infected with herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1), the same virus that causes mouth cold sores.
THE BLIND SIDE
HSV-1 can cause chronic inflammation in the corneal stroma, the thickest of the five layers of a cornea. Left untreated, the inflammation can give rise to herpetic stromal keratitis (HSK), a disease that results in permanent scarring of the cornea and is a leading cause of infection-induced corneal blindness in the United States.
“Right now there is only one form of treatment for the problem and that’s with steroids. And if you know steroids, there are significant side effects with long-term use of them,” Dr. Suvas says.
Furthermore, Dr. Suvas says studies show 60 to 80 percent of the world population has the HSV-1 virus lying dormant in nerve bundles in their bodies, so the need is great to find a better treatment plan and, ultimately, cure for infection-induced corneal blindness.
GRANT SUCCESS
“I am very happy with our research,” Dr. Suvas says. “I see quite a potential for long-term success.”
So, too, does Sally S. Atherton, executive vice president of the Maryland-based Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, who hopes it cuts down on corneal transplants. “Studies, such as those being conducted by Dr. Susmit Suvas, to decipher the neuroimmunology of HSV-1 keratitis and the underlying mechanisms of corneal damage may lead to therapies that target specific effector molecules which, in turn, will reduce corneal scarring and preserve vision,” she says.
The two-year R21 grant for nearly $403,000 has allowed Dr. Suvas, among other things, to hire two doctorate students, Brandon Twardy and Rudragouda Channappanavar to assist with the research.
With the help of some lab mice, they are exploring how the development of HSK lesions is immune-mediated and how the role of corneal neuropeptides (molecules used by neurons to communicate with each other), substance P (SP) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) – secretions from the nerves associated with the inflammatory process – impact the severity of HSK lesions.
The idea for this study came during a conversation Dr. Suvas had with Twardy, who at the time was working on his master’s. “I give Brandon a lot of credit for it,” he says.
IGNITING INTEREST
Dr. Suvas also credits a poor immunology instructor in his final year as an undergraduate in India for giving him the spark to study immunology rather than the business degree he was pursuing. “He would not explain in detail, so he created this curiosity in me because I’d go back to the book and read about it,” he says.
Doctorate student Twardy laughed after hearing how Dr. Suvas got into immunology because he also had no interest in the field until speaking with an enthusiastic Suvas. “As soon we spoke, I knew I wanted to work for him and learn more about immunology,” he admitts.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Dr. Suvas joined OU in 2007 after completing his post-doc research and as an assistant professor at University of Tennessee, Knoxville. While he had multiple job offers, he chose OU because, “It’s a growing institute and I saw a lot of potential,” he says.
He views the opening of the medical school and the collaboration with Beaumont Hospital as an opportunity to apply his immunology research and help people directly.
His eyes are on the future again.
