Cooperative Agreement U01EY030406

This Project Grant award by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of the Director under the Trans-NIH Research Support program (CFDA 93.310) provides $583,250 to The Schepens Eye Research Institute, Inc. to identify the mechanisms underlying ocular toxicity caused by nitrogen mustard exposure and evaluate specialized lipid mediators as potential medical countermeasures. The key objectives are to: 1) Determine how nitrogen mustard alters the function of conjunctival goblet cells and if...

This $589,071 Project Grant award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of the Director under the Trans-NIH Research Support program (CFDA 93.310) is funding research to investigate the immune mechanisms driving chronic ocular damage after acute exposure to nitrogen mustard, a potent chemical warfare agent. The key objectives are to: (1) determine how the acute innate corneal response to mustard exposure activates a persistent pathogenic T-helper 17 (Th17) immune response, and...

This Project Grant award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the Trans-NIH Research Support (CFDA 93.310) program provides $498,248 to the University of Connecticut Health Center (UCHC) to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying corneal and retinal injury caused by exposure to chemical threat agents like nitrogen mustard. The key objectives are to: 1) Examine the role of the p53-PAD axis in driving corneal hypercitrullination, a pathological response, after nitrogen...

This Project Grant award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Trans-NIH Research Support program (CFDA 93.310) will provide $937,468 to Northwestern University to understand the pathological mechanisms of sulfur mustard gas keratopathy (MGK) in the cornea. The research aims to explore how corneal mustard exposure induces autophagy, a cellular process that can play detrimental roles, via liberating the protein Beclin1 from the Beclin1-Bcl2 complex. The project will conduct in vitro and in...

The Department of the Army Medical Command awarded a $1,428,860 Project Grant to The Schepens Eye Research Institute, Inc. of Boston, MA under the Military Medical Research and Development program (CFDA 12.420) to investigate the safety and efficacy of supersaturated oxygen emulsion (SSOE) as a novel topical treatment for open globe injury. The three-year award beginning September 30, 2022 will support animal research using mice to test SSOE and controls supplied by sub-awardee Coruna Medical...

This Project Grant award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the Trans-NIH Research Support program (CFDA 93.310) provides $1,122,296 to the University of Illinois to investigate the role of cellular senescence in the development of mustard gas keratopathy (MGK). The research aims to: 1) study the relationship between senescence, inflammation, and corneal disease progression following acute exposure to nitrogen mustard; and 2) develop a new model to examine the role of...

The $309,086 Project Grant awarded by the Defense Health Agency (DHA) under the Military Medical Research and Development program (CFDA 12.420) supports research by the Centre for Eye Research Australia Limited (operating as the University of Melbourne Department of Ophthalmology) to target NADPH oxidase 4 to reduce ocular scarring following chemical burns to the eye. The project will run from July 2025 to June 2027 and aims to develop innovative medical treatments to address this critical eye...

The Defense Health Agency awarded a $1,466,706 Project Grant to The Schepens Eye Research Institute, Inc. under the Military Medical Research and Development (CFDA 12.420) program. The grant, effective September 1, 2025 through August 31, 2028, will fund research on "Topical Oxygen for Pan-Ocular Protection (TOPP) Against Severe Chemical Injury". The Schepens Eye Research Institute, a non-profit organization affiliated with Harvard Medical School, will conduct preclinical and...

This $332,179 Project Grant awarded by the National Eye Institute (CFDA 93.867 Vision Research) supports the development of nanobarrier contact lenses that can provide sustained delivery of the drug cysteamine to treat the ocular complications of cystinosis. The lenses are designed to replace the current 8-times daily eye drop regimen, improving patient compliance and reducing side effects from the preservatives and acidic pH in the eye drops. The project aims to demonstrate the lenses can...

This $201,825 Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (NEI) Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867) supports research to evaluate the use of condensin inhibitors as a potential topical treatment for Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterial eye infections. The lead investigator, Dr. Valentin Rybenkov at the University of Oklahoma, will collaborate with Dr. Michelle Callegan at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center to conduct in vivo studies examining the toxicity, corneal...