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Parsons Receives NIH Grant

Mar 3 2020

Posted In:

20/20 Blog

Dylan Parsons, a postdoctoral fellow in the Mahajan Lab, was one of three candidates selected to receive an award from the Stanford T32 Vision Training Grant. The grant provides one year of funding for intensive bench to bedside translational research aimed at bringing new therapies to patients. Dylan’s research interests include complex molecular synthesis and structure guided design of biologically relevant targets. He is currently working on the development and optimization of inhibitors for protein targets associated with eye disease. 

Vinit Mahajan M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of ophthalmology, said, “The NEI T32 Grant allows us to train vision researchers to be future leaders in the field. By understanding key clinical issues and causes of vision loss, T32 Grant recipients will be on the forefront of research breakthroughs that improve patient care and medical outcomes.”

Dr. Mahajan’s vast experience and expertise as a clinician scientist make him a valuable mentor for Dylan as he explores approaches both in translational vision science and medical chemistry. Mark Smith Ph.D., a medicinal chemist and director of the Stanford’s Macromolecular Structure Knowledge Center serves as Dylans’ co-mentor.

The T32 Grant provides opportunities for Dylan to participate in course work, workshops, and scientific conferences, including the monthly Vision Colloquium, Ophthalmology Grand Rounds, and the Bay Area Ophthalmology Course.

Dylan said, "I'm excited to be a recipient of this training grant, which will allow me to work even closer with the physician scientists leading the project and gain clinical experience. For a medicinal chemist, this is a very rare and unique opportunity."

The T32 Grant funding comes from the National Research Service Award (NRSA) institutional training grants (T32) from the National Eye Institute.

Drs. Mahajan, Smith, and Parsons are members of ChEM-H, a collaborative Stanford program that brings together chemists, engineers, biologists, and clinicians to understand life at a molecular level and apply that knowledge to improving human health.