This Project Grant awarded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867) funds the development and evaluation of novel surrogate augmented deep predictive learning algorithms to predict referral-warranted retinopathy of prematurity (RW-ROP). The primary goals are to: Develop algorithms that leverage early retinal images and demographic factors to accurately predict RW-ROP, enabling earlier identification of high-risk infants for close monitoring and...
This federal Project Grant award of $853,894 was provided by the National Eye Institute (NEI) under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867) to examine the mechanisms of placental-mediated protection against retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). The research aims to: Determine if the LHX5 transcription factor mediates a vasoprotective Wnt response to oxygen stress through direct regulation of SFRP1 in retinal pigment epithelial cell models. Investigate if LHX5 promoter methylation localizes to...
This Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (CFDA 93.867 - Vision Research) provides $462,072 to Tufts Medical Center to study the metabolic basis of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and potential treatments using anaplerotic substrates. The research aims to investigate fatty acid metabolic exchanges between the liver and retina, and to use anaplerotic substrates along with genetic manipulations to prevent oxygen-induced retinopathy. The award period runs from April 1, 2025 to March...
This Project Grant award of $580,331 from the National Eye Institute (CFDA 93.867 - Vision Research) aims to develop a deep learning-based diagnostic tool for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a leading cause of childhood blindness. The key products and services to be delivered under this award include: Optimizing and testing an animal-to-human (A2H) model to augment the training dataset for the deep learning-based ROP diagnostic model, using existing and newly acquired longitudinal animal ROP...
This Project Grant award of $1,298,882 from the National Eye Institute (CFDA 93.867 - Vision Research) aims to investigate the transfer of extracellular microRNAs (miRNAs) between retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and microglia as a means of intercellular communication. The primary goals are to evaluate the use of engineered RPE-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) as an intervention strategy to mitigate retinal inflammation and injury. Additionally, computational modeling will be used to...
This Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (NEI) under the Vision Research federal grant program (CFDA 93.867) will fund the development of a new wide-field visible-light optical coherence tomography (WF-VIS-OCT) device to evaluate the oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) model in rats. The $623,090 award, effective September 1, 2024, will support the Oregon Health & Science University in three main efforts: 1) developing the WF-VIS-OCT system with 5-mm transverse resolution over a...
This $380,000 Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (NEI), under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867), supports research to investigate the role of interphotoreceptor matrix proteoglycans in retinal homeostasis and retinitis pigmentosa. The project aims to: 1) Explore how the proteoglycans IMPG1 and IMPG2 facilitate nutrient exchange between the retina and retinal pigment epithelium, and how mutations in these molecules lead to adult-onset retinitis pigmentosa; 2) Determine...
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...
This federal Project Grant award of $770,000.00 was provided by the National Eye Institute (NEI) under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867) to the Augusta University Research Institute, Inc. (dba Georgia Health Sciences) in Augusta, Georgia. The goal of this award is to identify novel mechanisms and develop a new and effective therapy for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), the leading cause of preventable blindness in children. The key objectives are to: 1) investigate the therapeutic...
This $439,137 Project Grant was awarded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867) to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) to support research aimed at identifying cellular mechanisms and therapeutic targets for retinal neurovascular diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, retinal artery/vein occlusion, and traumatic optic neuropathy. The research will focus on studying the process of "efferocytosis", which refers to the...