Project Grant R43EY026281

The National Eye Institute (NEI) awarded a $2,270,408 Project Grant (CFDA 93.867 - Vision Research) to Wake Forest University Health Sciences to develop an intravitreal (IVT) delivery system for rexinoid compounds UAB126 and UAB30 as a novel therapy for diabetic retinopathy. The research aims to determine the physiological effects, cellular mechanisms, and molecular pathways by which these rexinoid compounds can prevent and reverse diabetic retinopathy when delivered directly to the retina....

The National Eye Institute (NEI) awarded a $615,979 Project Grant under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867) to Wayne State University to investigate a promising peptide-based combination therapy that targets hyperglycemia-responsive circuits in the cornea to prevent and treat diabetes-induced corneal complications. The 4-year project aims to: 1) establish the therapeutic role of Thymosin beta 4 (TB4) and Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP) as a combination treatment against diabetic...

This Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (NEI) under the Vision Research federal grant program (CFDA 93.867) provides $933,533 to Revopsis Therapeutics, Inc. to conduct Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling preclinical studies for their RO-104 trispecific surrobody therapy. RO-104 targets vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), VEGF-C, and angiopoietin-2 to treat retinal diseases like age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vein occlusion. The...

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 Oakland University a 2-year, $184,117 Project Grant (CFDA 93.867 Vision Research) to investigate the role of G-Coupled Protein Receptors 31 and 39 (GPR31/GPR39) in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy. The researchers will determine the affinities and specificities of GPR31 and GPR39 for the 12/15-lipoxygenase metabolites 12-HETE and 15-HETE, and examine the effects of GPR31/GPR39 gain-loss-of-function on retinal endothelial cells and Müller cells...

The National Eye Institute (NEI) awarded a $440,806 Project Grant under the Vision Research federal grant program (CFDA 93.867) to The Research Foundation for the State University of New York (RF SUNY) to investigate the role of the molecular chaperone protein P58IPK in protecting retinal neurons from diabetic damage. The 5-year project aims to define how P58IPK regulates protein and lipid homeostasis through the integrated stress response and lipid glycosylation pathways, and evaluate the...

This Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (NEI) under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867) is focused on developing bifunctional small molecule inhibitors of the STING protein as new therapeutic approaches for diabetic retinopathy. The $228,009 award to the Regents of the University of Minnesota aims to assess two strategies for STING inhibition - through proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) to induce STING degradation, and through bifunctional compounds that...

This $436,695 Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (NEI), under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867), is supporting the development and evaluation of a novel topical eye drop formulation to deliver HIF-1 inhibitors for treating retinal and choroidal vascular diseases. The primary objectives are to: 1) develop and characterize new polymer-based gelling eye drop formulations to maximize intraocular penetration and drug delivery to the posterior segment, 2) test the maximum...

The University of Southern California (USC) received a $480,140 Project Grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI) under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867) to develop new treatment strategies for diabetic retinopathy (DR). The key objectives are to: 1) evaluate the targeted delivery of therapeutic extracellular vesicles (exosomes) to areas of retinal vascular dysfunction in DR, and 2) determine if Müller glia-derived exosomes can protect the retinal neurovascular unit and mitigate DR...

This Project Grant award from the National Eye Institute (NEI) under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867) supports research to characterize the molecular mechanisms underlying the allosteric regulation of the REDD1 protein and its contribution to the development of diabetic retinopathy. The objective is to address knowledge gaps in understanding how diabetes-induced changes to REDD1 proteolysis lead to increased REDD1 protein abundance, which in turn drives retinal pathology. The $107,727...