Project Grant R21EY038865

The National Eye Institute (NEI) awarded a $427,504 Project Grant to The Johns Hopkins University effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028 under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867). The award funds the development and validation of BLAB-SEQ (Birth Labeled Sequencing), a novel transgene-based methodology that combines non-toxic fluorescent birth dating with single-cell RNA sequencing to directly link neuronal birth timing and fate specification in human organoids. Unlike existing chemical-based birth dating strategies that are cytotoxic and incompatible with transcriptomic profiling, BLAB-SEQ provides a temporally precise, non-toxic approach capable of identifying birth dates and gene expression profiles across diverse neuronal subtypes in living tissue, addressing critical gaps in understanding how cell cycle exit timing determines neuronal fate during development.

The research team will validate BLAB-SEQ using human retinal organoids to generate mechanistic insights into retinal neurogenesis, establishing developmental timelines for the seven major retinal cell classes and characterizing the birth timing of approximately 130 retinal cell subtypes—data currently unavailable for human systems. These deliverables will advance fundamental understanding of human retinal development and provide the scientific community with a broadly applicable platform technology for studying neurogenesis across multiple human organoid types and tissues.