Project Grant R01EY038821

The National Eye Institute of the Department of Health and Human Services awarded The General Hospital Corporation (doing business as Massachusetts General Hospital) $723,931 on August 15, 2026, under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867).

The award funds functional characterization of lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) microstimulation as an advanced artificial vision system. The research validates a novel 1000-channel electrode array called the Fountain Probe, engineered for volumetric deployment in deep brain structures, and tests whether high-density, patterned stimulation of the LGN can produce stable, structured visual percepts capable of supporting real-world visual behaviors. The work pursues three specific aims: mapping spatial and laminar activation patterns of the Fountain Probe in primate LGN; assessing chronic biocompatibility, impedance stability, and perceptual reproducibility in awake, behaving animals; and determining whether LGN stimulation can support higher-order visual behaviors including motion discrimination, symbolic object recognition, and spatial navigation. This research targets patients with advanced ocular trauma or end-stage degeneration who cannot benefit from existing retinal or cortical implant approaches.

Performance of work occurs in Boston, Massachusetts from the award date through July 31, 2031. The recipient is a nonprofit academic medical center and Harvard Medical School teaching hospital that functions as a prime recipient for federally funded biomedical and translational research services across the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies.