Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston received a $617,349 Project Grant from the National Institute on Aging under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866), awarded June 15, 2026, with a completion date of March 31, 2031. The award funds research investigating EPAC1 signaling as a novel mechanism of retinal neurodegeneration during tauopathy—a pathological condition characterized by abnormal tau protein aggregation associated with Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. The research examines how activation of the cAMP/EPAC1 pathway promotes retinal neuronal injury through mitochondrial dysfunction, tau phosphorylation and sumoylation, and impaired clearance of tau aggregates and damaged cellular components.

This project addresses a critical gap in understanding vision loss in tauopathy patients, as visual impairment is prevalent in Alzheimer's disease and significantly affects quality of life and cognitive function. The research leverages the retina's structural relationship to the central nervous system, recognizing that retinal pathological changes often precede brain pathology. Findings are expected to contribute to the development of diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies to prevent or treat vision impairment in neurodegenerative disease populations, fulfilling the National Institute on Aging's mission to support research directed toward understanding age-related diseases and improving health outcomes for the aging population.