Q&A with Bushra Zaman: Studying a Protein That Could Help Protect and Restore Vision
August 17, 2026Bushra Zaman, a PhD student at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, is researching how a specific protein called clusterin can help the eye recover after sudden injury.
Growing up, Bushra Zaman watched her grandfather struggle to manage the many pills he had to take every day. She wished there was a panacea for him — a single medicine to make everything easier.
This idea sparked her journey into drug development research and led her to pursue her PhD at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. In 2026, Zaman received a PhRMA Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship in Drug Discovery to support her research on how a specific protein called clusterin can help the eye recover after sudden injury.
Her work focuses on understanding how cells in the eye communicate with one another to bring about this protection. By uncovering how clusterin works in the retina, Zaman hopes to find new ways to preserve and restore vision after injury. Additionally, because this protein is naturally abundant in most tissues throughout the body, her research could provide insights into healing and recovery for other organ systems.
Watch this video to learn more about Zaman and her research.
