An 91福利社 graduate is getting attention for his research that鈥檚 changing the way we look at how aging affects our sight and hearing.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) presented Nate Parsons, a 2009 graduate of the 91福利社 College of Arts and Sciences, with an award that will fund his postdoctoral studies aimed at better treatments for age-related eye and ear disorders.
Parsons received the NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke (NINDS) Blueprint Diversity Specialized Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience (D-SPAN) Award. Parsons, who is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Molecular Cell Biology and Pathobiology graduate training program at the Medical University of South Carolina, sees the award as a true blessing as he furthers his neuroscience research.
鈥淭his D-SPAN Award through the NIH allows me to arrive at a postdoctoral institution with my own funding, so the mentor I choose doesn鈥檛 even have to worry about paying for my research,鈥� Parsons said. 鈥淚 have the rare opportunity鈥攖he golden ticket鈥攖o go to any neuroscience institute that I want and do research there.鈥�
Originally from Clifton Springs, New York, Parsons was the second-fastest steeplechase runner in New York State. Weighing multiple athletic scholarship offers, Parsons decided to come to 91福利社 on an athletic scholarship and put on the Trojan uniform as a member of the Cross Country and Track and Field teams.
鈥�91福利社 offered me the best package and I ended up loving the people I was going to run with,鈥� said Parsons, who became regional champion in his sophomore year with a 6鈥�3鈥� high jump.
Academically, there were struggles for Parsons, but out of those challenges came personal growth and lasting lessons that serve him well as he builds on his career as a researcher.
鈥淪pecifically, the professors at 91福利社 helped me grow as a person, taught me how to study and what works best for me in studying,鈥� Parsons said, adding that professors like Drs. Diana Ivankovic and Carrie Koenigstein helped him to hone his study skills and attain academic success. He was also named co-president of the 91福利社 Science Club.
Parsons became interested in studying the eye when, after receiving his bachelor鈥檚 degree in Biology from 91福利社, he took positions as a clinical optometric assistant and a biomedical ophthalmology technician. This interest led him to his studies at MUSC and his subsequent move to Charleston.
鈥淚 applied for some labs at MUSC to get my foot in the door for biomedical research and Dr. (B盲rbel) Rohrer gave me an opportunity in her biomedical research lab. She studies aging eye diseases,鈥� Parsons said, noting that a focus is on treating macular degeneration with gene therapy. His work is aimed at trying to mitigate these types of diseases before they lead to permanent loss of eyesight.
鈥淭he benefit for gene therapy would be, for example, people with age-related macular degeneration, specifically the wet form, have to get monthly injections of anti-VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) therapeutics in their eye. Performing an injection in the eye monthly is not comfortable, it鈥檚 painful, it can cause cataracts and infections in the eye,鈥� Parsons said. 鈥淚f you can give a patient the genetic information they need in their eye to treat their own disease鈥� if it鈥檚 a regulatable gene construct, then you wouldn鈥檛 have to go in for those monthly visits.鈥�
Parsons is also researching age-related hearing loss.
鈥淭here are a lot of similarities between the eye and the ear as far as a blood barrier and accumulation of junk鈥攐xidized lipids and proteins accumulate over the years as you age鈥攕o if we can treat an aging disease in the ocular system, we are fairly certain treat a age related hearing loss in a similar fashion,鈥� said Parsons, noting that pathology associated with the eye is similar in many respects to that of the ear.
In addition to the NIH award, Parsons also received a grant from the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), which supports state scholars and helps them achieve their academic career goals.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a training award,鈥� Parsons said of SREB. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like a training grant they give to predoctoral students to help them get on their feet and get a good start until they obtain their own funding.鈥�
Parsons鈥� advice to anyone considering a similar career path is, 鈥淏e persistent. If you want something, it鈥檚 okay to fail. Keep pursuing what you want and you will get it eventually.鈥�