Project Grant R21EY034597

This is a Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867). The $451,000 award supports research by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center to investigate the role of the FIC enzyme in regulating the unfolded protein response (UPR) in the mammalian retina. Specifically, the project aims to determine if FIC-mediated modification of the BIP protein can modulate UPR activation, which is critical for preventing photoreceptor cell death and vision loss in retinal degenerative diseases. The 2-year project will develop tools to monitor UPR in the absence of FIC in the retina under normal conditions and disease states, providing insights into potential cellular targets for future therapies to treat or prevent ER stress-related vision loss.