Shilpa Kodati, M.B.B.S., Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, has received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) K23 career development award for her work on non-infectious uveitis, a type of autoimmune disease affecting the eye. Dr. Kodati’s research investigates the connection between this eye disease and the gut microbiome, the bacteria in the digestive system. To study this, Dr. Kodati is collecting serial stool and blood samples from both patients with non-infectious uveitis and healthy volunteers over six months. She hypothesizes that shifts in gut microbes and their metabolic products may be linked to changes in disease activity. With these samples, she hopes to determine if gut microbes can help predict which patients will respond to uveitis treatment. “We believe that changes in gut microbes and the substances they produce could help physicians understand how active the disease is and how well patients will respond to treatment,” she says. “Our goal is to uncover gut-related markers linked to uveitis, paving the way for more personalized treatments.” Conversations with uveitis patients have revealed that many want to know whether their lifestyle and what they eat can impact their disease. “We still need more research to give clear, evidence-based advice in this area,” says Dr. Kodati. “Understanding gut bacteria may provide important answers.” In her field of work, Dr. Kodati has observed two important emerging research trends: studying the impact of gut bacteria on autoimmune diseases and gaining a better understanding of the underlying immune pathways to enable personalized treatments. “Combining clinical information with this data offers an important opportunity to improve our understanding of non-infectious uveitis,” she says. “Precision treatments tailored to a person’s immune system have the potential to be more effective.” Dr. Kodati is deeply appreciative of this funding. “The K23 award gives me critical support and protected time for research. It also provides time for essential training activities so I can develop the skills needed to become an independent investigator.”