In memory of M. Cristina Kenney, MD, PhD

We are saddened to announce that on Dec. 21, 2023, the vision research community suffered a profound loss with the passing of M. Cristina Kenney, MD, PhD, at the age of 74. A globally renowned scientist and clinician, she held a pivotal role as one of the esteemed faculty members at the UCI Gavin Herbert Eye Institute.

Additionally, Dr. Kenney actively contributed to the Center for Translational Vision Research and the Discovery Center for Eye Research at UCI. Her untimely departure resulted from a sudden aggressive recurrence of cancer, marking a considerable loss not only for us but for the entire vision research community. We mourn the irreplaceable loss of a cherished friend, an exceptionally collaborative researcher, and a mentor to countless individuals, including international retina research fellows at UCI over the past two decades.

Dr. Kenney was a distinguished clinician-scientist, boasting an impressive and prolific track record of imaginative and pioneering research that set her apart from her peers early in her career. She obtained her doctorate in anatomy and biochemistry from the University of Arizona in Tucson and subsequently pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Southern California. Later, she earned a medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she received the Emil Bogan Research Prize for Outstanding Research.

Recognized with numerous awards from the National Institutes of Health and private foundations for her contributions to macular degeneration, keratoconus, and other eye diseases, Dr. Kenney also received the University of Arizona Foundation Award for Meritorious Performance in Teaching, the Solomon Scholar Award for Medical Research from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and UCLA, the Paul Rubenstein Award for Research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the Everett Kinsey Lectureship and the Whitney Sampson Lectureship. Serving as a member of the National Institutes of Health Visual Science A Study Section, she also held the position of Chairperson from 1998 to 2000.

Anthony Nesburn, MD, Dr. Kenney’s husband, professor, and vice chair for scientific development at the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, offered profound insights on her impact on the field and others: “Her contributions to science are immense, and they will live on. Her caring for those around her, too, will live on, and she will be deeply missed by her family, friends, colleagues, patients and students. Cris was many things, all at once, but her passion, warmth, intelligence and deep empathy shone through in every aspect of her very well-lived life.”

Dr. Kenney approached her work uniquely, utilizing cybrids that have revolutionized mitochondrial research. Her groundbreaking work demonstrated wide-ranging biological effects of mitochondria, opening the field of mitochondrial therapy for careful investigation in Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). In her most recent work, collaborating with Dr. Howard Federoff, her research explored drugs and substances to maintain mitochondrial health, ultimately improving retinal cell health in AMD. Their findings indicated that PU-91 (Fenofibrate) restores mitochondrial health and increases cell longevity in AMD cybrid cell lines. This approach could extend to developing mitochondria-targeting drugs for various age-related conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.

Dr. Kenney conducted morphological, biochemical, molecular, and genetic studies demonstrating that mitochondria from AMD patients are damaged and dysfunctional. Using transmitochondrial AMD cybrids, she revealed a significant loss of viability, impaired mitochondrial functions, upregulation of pro-apoptotic genes, and increased vulnerability to oxidative stress in cells possessing AMD mitochondria. However, treatment with Humanin G (HNG) and Small Humanin-Like Peptides 2 (SHLP2) proved protective and rescued these cells. Most importantly, her work demonstrated that mitochondria exerted influence on many non-energy related nuclear genetic pathways including immunity and susceptibility to disease.

She was an outstanding scholar who pushed the boundaries of AMD research, venturing into unexplored territories to pave the way for potential treatments. Her interdisciplinary approach, integrating experts from stem cell biology, neurology, and ophthalmology, aimed at finding a cure for AMD and other age-related diseases.

As a creative and successful physician-scientist, she made revolutionary contributions to the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, the School of Medicine and the field of ophthalmology. Dr. Kenney developed and ran the very popular annual Gavin Herbert Eye Institute—Discovery Center for Eye Research Bench to Bedside Meeting at UCI. She played a key role in running the research nonprofit, the Discovery Eye Foundation that has contributed over $15M to the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute over the last 20 years.

Beyond her professional achievements, Dr. Kenney possessed a warm and engaging personality, making her one of the kindest souls we have ever known. She was an incredible colleague and research partner, and we endeavor to find numerous ways to honor her legacy in our department for years to come.

Sincerely,

Baruch D. Kuppermann, MD, PhD
Steinert Endowed Professor
Chair, Department of Ophthalmology
Director, Gavin Herbert Eye Institute
Co-Director, Center for Translational Vision Research
University of California, Irvine School of Medicine

Krzysztof (Kris) Palczewski, PhD
Donald Bren Professor
Distinguished Professor, University of California, Irvine
Irving H. Leopold Chair of Ophthalmology
Co-Director, Center for Translational Vision Research
Gavin Herbert Eye Institute; Departments of Ophthalmology, Chemistry, Physiology & Biophysics, and Molecular Biology & Biochemistry