The National Eye Institute (NEI) awarded a $291,375 Project Grant (CFDA 93.867 - Vision Research) to the University of Connecticut Health Center to develop a novel mouse model for studying age-related choroidal neovascularization (ARCNV), a key hallmark of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The award, spanning from August 1, 2024 to July 31, 2026, aims to systematically characterize the ARCNV model, which mimics the genetic, environmental, and age-related factors associated with wet...
This $3,120,397 Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (CFDA Program 93.867 - Vision Research) supports research at the Medical University of South Carolina to develop and characterize a 3D tissue chip model of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and choroid. The goal is to study the influence of genetic risk factors and environmental stressors on complement pathway activation and early-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD) pathology in this model system. The project...
This Project Grant award, provided by the U.S. National Eye Institute (NEI) under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867), will fund research to investigate the role of extracellular matrix stiffness and genetic risk factors in the development of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The $1,173,062 award, effective September 1, 2024 through March 31, 2029, will support in vitro and ex vivo models to determine how matrix biomechanics impact the...
This federal Project Grant award of $620,149 from the National Eye Institute (CFDA 93.867 - Vision Research) supports a research program at the University of Iowa to investigate the use of genome editing techniques, such as base editing and prime editing, to modify genetic risk factors for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The key objectives are to edit the ARMS2/HTRA1 and CFH gene variants associated with AMD risk in human cell models, including induced pluripotent stem cell-derived...
This federal Project Grant award of $547,898.00, provided by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) under the Aging Research (CFDA 93.866) program, supports a comprehensive scientific investigation into the impact of sex on mitochondrial and epigenetic mechanisms in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The research aims to generate a comprehensive analysis of mitochondrial DNA variation, elucidate DNA methylation and chromatin accessibility changes in the nuclear genome, and integrate these...
This $521,572 Project Grant, awarded by the National Eye Institute (CFDA 93.867 Vision Research) to East Tennessee State University on January 1, 2025, supports research to define the signatures of histone expression in the aging retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and determine the cellular effects of loss of histone expression on RPE homeostasis and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) progression. The research aims to investigate whether histone depletion is a key factor contributing to RPE...
This federal Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (NEI), under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867), provides $230,250 to the University of Miami to model the effects of outdoor air pollution on retinal health and function. The key objectives are to: 1) Measure the molecular and cellular changes in normal, aged, and AMD-susceptible mouse retinas following exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution over time, and 2) Assess whether PM2.5 exposure accelerates the...
This Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (NEI), under the Vision Research federal grant program (CFDA 93.867), provides $513,371 in funding to The Ohio State University to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the role of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway in oxidative retinal damage and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The research aims to elucidate the mechanisms by which oxidative stress triggers the release of self-DNA into the cytosol, leading to activation of the...
This Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (NEI), under the Vision Research federal grant program (CFDA 93.867), supports research to elucidate the function of the MTRNR2L1 gene and explore its potential implications in the pathogenesis of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NAMD). The $240,713 award, effective February 1, 2025 through January 31, 2027, will fund studies to determine if MTRNR2L1 is a protein-encoding gene or a long non-coding RNA, and to investigate its...
This federal Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (NEI), under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867), provides $253,500.00 to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai to reconstruct a human blood-retina barrier and perfused vascular system. The goal is to investigate the role of apolipoprotein E (APOE) variants in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The project aims to optimize an in vitro human outer blood-retina barrier model to study AMD phenotypes, generate isogenic...