Krzysztof Palczewski, Ph.D., sees the world quite differently than the rest of us.
The world-renowned Polish biochemist is at ease discussing photons, colors and retinal imagery. For him, finding out why a person is having problems with vision is like how a mechanic works on a car to solve a problem.
“Once you understand how the car works, then you can begin to address the problems. It’s the same with human diseases like blindness,” he told the Business Journal.
UCI’s Gain
One thing is for sure—experts in Orange County eye industry view Palczewski in a different light.
Palczewski is the only person to have won both the Cogan Award (1996) for the most promising young vision scientist and the Friedenwald Award (2014) for continuously outstanding ophthalmology research from the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
His work has been cited more than 46,000 times in professional and academic journals.
At the UCI Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, which is part of UCI Health, he holds the Irving H. Leopold Chair in Ophthalmology.
That means he holds the most important chair at the institute started by the man who helped build Allergan into a powerhouse.
“His work has contributed to our ability to generate new molecular therapeutics for age-related macular degeneration and other retinopathies,” said Baruch Kuppermann, M.D., chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the UCI School of Medicine.
He continues to pick up awards. In October, Palczewski was elected into the National Academy of Medicine, which is one of the highest distinctions for academic medical professionals. He is one of 100 new members that were recently announced.
Local Leadership
Palczewski joined UCI last year, and his hiring had an immediate impact on the region’s internationally known ophthalmology industry, according to other notables in the sector.
“Kris has brought not only intellect to UCI, but key leadership,” said Jim Mazzo, one of the world’s top experts on ophthalmology and global president of Carl Zeiss Meditec, as well as president and chair of the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute.
“Kris has demonstrated his ability to attract top talent to UCI,” said Mazzo, who works out of Newport Beach. “This allows us to continue to foster the growth needed in our area.”
Palczewski’s research into retinal diseases and age-related macular degeneration has been groundbreaking in the ophthalmology industry. His recruitment was pursued by the late Roger Steinert, M.D., former professor and chair of the ophthalmology department at UCI and founder of the institute.
Rhodopsin Discovery
Palczewski is credited with and best-known for discovering the structural binding and folding properties of a photoreceptive protein called rhodopsin. This discovery brought new understanding to the molecular foundation of the process of seeing and the light-sensitive structures within the eye.
He has spent over 30 years studying the pharmacology of vision and has restored vision to people suffering blindness from retinitis pigmentosa and other congenital mutations.
He holds 29 issued and nine pending patents, founded a pair of vision-related drug discovery companies, and has received several prestigious accolades, including the 2015 Bressler Prize in Vision Science.
His first notable connection to OC was made in 2014, when he was given the inaugural 2014 Beckman-Argyros Award in Vision Research, named after two titans in OC’s business history: Dr. Arnold Beckman and Ambassador George Argyros.
Translational Vision Research
Palczewski arrived at UCI last year from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland to establish the Center for Translational Vision Research at the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute.
He collaborates with a team of noted vision scientists to maximize opportunities to translate insights from basic science investigations into clinical treatments.
He told the Business Journal that there is so much scientists are still discovering about the eye. Repeated exposure to light without any lens to obstruct the harmful light radiation causes damage to the eye over time, specifically the retina.
“If I take a fluorescence spectrum on the back of your eyes—10 years later, 12 years later there will be condensation on the back of the eye from vitamin A,” Palczewski said. And that damage is the effect that occurs naturally with age and light exposure.
When asked whether blue light blocking glasses are all fad or worth the investment for eye preservation, Palczewski said that “anything over the eyes” is good to protect them—even cheap sunglasses because it changes the amount of energy entering the eye.
He plans to focus on three aspects with his UCI research: the basic mechanism underlying vision and visual adaptation; novel advanced imaging technologies based on phenomenon known as two-photon excitation; and a new concept in pharmacology called “systems pharmacology” to find a pharmacological solution to slowly progressing retinal diseases including age-related macular degeneration.
Love at First Sight
He first fell in love with the eye in a high school chemistry lab as a teenager. His passion later led him to pursue an organic chemistry masters and then his doctoral degree in biochemistry from the University of Wroclaw before coming to the U.S. where he has spent over 30 years studying the pharmacology of vision.
UCI now has five faculty who are members of the National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest professional distinctions accorded to those contributing to the areas of medical sciences, healthcare and public health.
UCI has 42 members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, 35 members of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, nine members of the National Academy of Inventors and four member of the National Academy of Education.
