Project Grant R41EY028839

This $440,000 Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (NEI), under Federal Grant Program 93.867 (Vision Research), aims to develop a novel, disease-targeted anti-angiogenic therapy for treating wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The key product being developed is a neutralizing monoclonal antibody that targets a new, CNV-selective angiogenic factor discovered through the awardee's comparative ligandomics technology. This approach differs from currently approved anti-VEGF...

The National Eye Institute (NEI) awarded a $774,169 Project Grant (CFDA 93.867 - Vision Research) to The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York to advance the development of a small molecule drug candidate with dual specificity as a therapy for dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The proposed research aims to perform experiments required to progress the lead compound, (R)-ACPHS-62, towards Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies (R61 phase) and then conduct the...

The National Eye Institute (NEI) awarded a $436,695 Project Grant (CFDA 93.867 Vision Research) to The Johns Hopkins University to develop a new eye drop-based treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NAMD) and other ocular diseases with neovascular complications. The grant supports the development and testing of a novel hypotonic gelling eye drop formulation designed to effectively deliver the HIF-1 inhibitor acriflavine to the posterior segment of the eye. Specific aims...

This federal Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867), provides $1,330,026 to develop two new mouse models of geographic atrophy, the advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The goal is to use these models to evaluate the efficacy of a novel antioxidant therapeutic, deuterated docosahexaenoic acid (D-DHA), in protecting the retinal pigment epithelium from degeneration. The research, conducted by The Trustees...

This $531,670 Project Grant awarded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) under CFDA 93.867 Vision Research will fund a feasibility study for a future Mediterranean diet intervention trial to slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a non-diabetic cohort. The key objectives are to: 1) demonstrate the feasibility of a behavioral intervention to shift participants from a typical Western diet to a low-glycemic, Mediterranean diet; 2) assess the feasibility of collecting...

This Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (NEI) under the Vision Research federal grant program (CFDA 93.867) provides funding of $933,533 to Revopsis Therapeutics, Inc. to support preclinical development of RO-104, a first-in-class trispecific surrobody targeting VEGF-A, VEGF-C, and Ang-2 for the treatment of retinal diseases. The project aims to evaluate RO-104's in vivo toxicology, pharmacokinetics, and dose-range in a relevant preclinical animal model. This work will enable...

The National Eye Institute (NEI) awarded a $253,500 Project Grant (CFDA 93.867 Vision Research) to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) to reconstruct a human blood-retina barrier and perfused vascular system to investigate the role of apolipoprotein E (APOE) variants in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The project aims to optimize an in vitro model of the outer blood-retina barrier, which includes the retinal pigmented epithelium and a choriocapillaris-like compartment, to...

The National Eye Institute (NEI) awarded a $240,713 Project Grant under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867) to The Research Foundation for the State University of New York (RF SUNY) for the project "Nuclear Encoded Humanin Isoforms and Mitochondria in Age-Related Macular Degeneration". The funding supports research to elucidate the function of the MTRNR2L1 gene, a novel nuclear-encoded humanin isoform, and explore its potential role in the pathogenesis of neovascular...

The National Eye Institute (NEI) awarded a $606,092 Project Grant (CFDA 93.867 Vision Research) to the University of California, Berkeley to investigate the preferred retinal locus (PRL) that develops in individuals with central vision loss due to macular diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The project aims to understand the mechanism underlying PRL development, its structural properties and functional capabilities, and whether vision at the PRL can be optimized through...

This Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (NEI), under the NEI Vision Research federal grant program (CFDA 93.867), provides $254,808 to the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) to investigate the role of heparan sulfate (HS) in the development of drusen deposits in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The award, effective July 1, 2024, aims to: 1) Determine what AMD risk factors are associated with changes in the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) composition of Bruch's membrane;...