Project Grant HT94252510338

This $247,500 federal Project Grant, awarded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867), aims to investigate the role of limbal fibroblasts in maintaining limbal stem cells and developing a novel therapy for limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD). The project has three key objectives: 1) characterize the properties of limbal fibroblasts and limbal dendritic cells, 2) evaluate the interaction between limbal niche cells and limbal epithelial cells, and 3)...

The National Eye Institute (NEI) awarded a $451,962 Project Grant (CFDA 93.867 Vision Research) to The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) to develop novel mouse models for studying the role of Transcription Factor 4 (TCF4) trinucleotide repeat expansions in the pathogenesis of Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy (FECD). The research aims to generate and characterize TCF4 repeat expansion mouse models, as well as to investigate how the TCF4 repeat expansion...

This $251,250 Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (CFDA 93.867 Vision Research) supports research to characterize inflammatory cell infiltration in the meibomian glands and investigate the role of autoimmune CD4+ T cells in causing meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), a leading cause of dry eye disease affecting millions. The award funds a collaborative research project between Baylor College of Medicine, which serves as the prime recipient, and the University of Houston College of...

This Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (CFDA 93.867 - Vision Research) provides $588,731 to The University of Iowa to investigate the role of ferroptosis, a type of oxidative cell death, in the progression of Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy (FECD). The key research objectives are to: 1) Define the interplay between FECD-associated corneal guttae and ferroptosis, 2) Determine how ultraviolet-A light exposure mediates ferroptosis in FECD, and 3) Develop drug therapies to...

The National Eye Institute (NEI), under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, awarded a $730,000 Project Grant (CFDA 93.867 - Vision Research) to Human Cell Co, a for-profit biotech firm, to develop an optimized nerve growth factor (NGF) therapy for the treatment of dry eye disease (DED). The funding will support preclinical studies to evaluate the efficacy and mechanism of action of the company's proprietary NGF mutein (HC201) in improving tear film production and corneal...

This Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute's Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867) provides $2,174,069.00 to The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania to conduct research on developing novel mRNA-based treatments for Fuchs' Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy (FECD). The study aims to elucidate the regenerative potential of corneal endothelial cells and devise innovative therapeutic interventions to restore corneal transparency and vision in FECD patients. Key research activities...

The National Eye Institute (NEI) awarded a $176,550 Project Grant under the Vision Research federal grant program (CFDA 93.867) to the University of Louisville to optimize C-Met signaling to enhance corneal epithelial homeostasis. The research aims to extend C-Met receptor activity by disrupting its downregulation, with the goal of restoring corneal homeostasis following wounding. The study will investigate the role of C-Met ubiquitylation in limiting its signaling in corneal epithelial cells in...

This $153,512 Project Grant awarded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) under CFDA Program 93.867 Vision Research supports research to examine the regulation of the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) in acute and chronic thyroid eye disease (TED). The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) is the primary awardee. The research aims to: 1) Determine the cell type expression of IGF-1R in acute and chronic TED compared to healthy orbital tissue using advanced genomic sequencing...

This Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.396 - Cancer Biology Research) provides $527,159 in funding to Brigham & Women's Hospital, a subsidiary of Partners Healthcare System, to conduct research on the role of DNA damage and cell fate plasticity in the initiation of BRCA1-related basal-like breast cancer. The key objectives of the research are to: 1) study whether BRCA1-deficient luminal mammary cells acquire a fetal mammary stem cell-like gene expression program...

This Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (NEI), under the federal Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867), supports research to investigate the relationship between myofibroblasts and alloreactive T cells in corneal transplantation. The $540,213 award to The Schepens Eye Research Institute, Inc., effective August 1, 2025 through July 31, 2030, aims to: 1) define the mechanisms by which myofibroblasts regulate alloreactive effector T cell function, and 2) define the mechanisms by...