This $240,713 Project Grant was awarded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) under the Vision Research federal grant program (CFDA 93.867) to investigate the role of MTRNR2L1, a novel nuclear-encoded humanin isoform gene, in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) progression and neovascular AMD (NAMD) pathogenesis. The grant recipient, The Research Foundation for the State University of New York (RF SUNY), will use molecular biology techniques to determine if MTRNR2L1 is a protein-coding gene or long non-coding RNA, and elucidate its function in regulating mitochondrial activity and cell survival in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells exposed to endoplasmic reticulum and oxidative stress. Additionally, the project will assess whether MTRNR2L1 modulates pro-angiogenic factor production in RPE cells and angiogenic activities in choroidal endothelial cells, to provide proof-of-concept evidence for MTRNR2L1 as a potential molecular target in AMD progression and NAMD. This two-year research project began in February 2025.
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