L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) has received funding under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Centre for Advanced Research (CAR) scheme for its proposal titled, ‘C-ARREST: Centre for Advanced Research on Retinal Vascular Diseases using Effective Solutions and Treatment Strategies’, focused on retinal vascular diseases.
C-ARREST is a collaborative initiative between LVPEI and the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT-H), with LVPEI serving as the host institution. The Centre is a result of sustained joint research efforts which brings together clinical ophthalmology, public health, and engineering expertise. Led by Dr Inderjeet Kaur, the multidisciplinary team includes basic scientists, retina specialists, optometrists, and public health experts from LVPEI, alongside engineers from IIT-H across domains such as chemical engineering, electrical engineering, biomaterials, and artificial intelligence/machine learning.
Through this collaboration, the Centre aims to tackle major causes of Retinal Vascular diseases (RVDs), like Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) and Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) by improving early diagnosis, risk prediction, and treatment strategies.
In its first year, the project will build a comprehensive patient database to better understand disease progression and support the development of rapid, non-invasive diagnostic tools. The study will follow strict ethical guidelines, with voluntary patient participation and public awareness initiatives.
Dr Kaur also reiterated the team’s commitment towards advancing impactful and patient-centric research through the Centre. By integrating clinical insight with technological innovation, C-ARREST seeks to significantly reduce the burden of retinal blindness.
