Project Grant W81XWH2211113

Summary Washington State University has received a $482,067 Project Grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI) under the Vision Research federal grant program (CFDA 93.867), effective August 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030. The grant supports the development of nanotherapies for targeted treatment of corneal neovascularization (CONV), a sight-threatening condition characterized by abnormal blood vessel growth into the cornea that disrupts normal corneal anatomy and causes opacity. Current...

Federal Project Grant Award Summary Kuria Therapeutics, Inc. received a $799,730 Project Grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI) under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867) awarded September 30, 2025, with a completion date of August 31, 2026. The award funds Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies for KTX-1161, a topical eye drop containing the active ingredient SCO-116, a proprietary small molecule NRF2 (nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2) activator designed to protect...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $274,416 Project Grant under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084) to Biolattice Ophthalmics, Inc. (doing business as Biolattice LLC) on December 1, 2023. The award supports the development of a novel acellular polymer membrane for use as a cornea substitute, with the goal of providing a true alternative to donor cornea for full thickness cornea replacement. The artificial cornea aims to offer a biocompatible,...

The National Eye Institute (NEI) has awarded a $356,485 Project Grant to Stellular Bio, Inc. under the NEI's Vision Research federal grant program (CFDA 93.867) to support the scale-up and manufacturing of STLR-201, an off-the-shelf regenerative therapeutic for Sjögren's syndrome-related dry eye disease (SSDE). STLR-201 is a platelet and stem cell-based product that promotes corneal epithelial cell proliferation and improves corneal barrier integrity, addressing the critical unmet need for a...

This federal Project Grant award of $431,750.00 from the National Eye Institute (CFDA 93.867 - Vision Research) supports research by the University of California, Irvine to develop a novel laser-based approach for non-viral corneal gene delivery. The key objectives are to create microchannels through the corneal epithelium to enhance transepithelial diffusion, and use femtosecond laser pulses to open membrane pores in stromal keratocytes for safer plasmid-based gene delivery without the...

The Ovitz Corporation received a $612,342 Project Grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI) under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867) to develop artificial intelligence-driven tools for automating the design of higher-order aberration optics in scleral contact lenses. Beginning September 1, 2025, and concluding August 31, 2026, the project aims to reduce lens design time by up to 40 minutes per lens and eliminate at least one patient fitting session by implementing a machine learning...

Federal Grant Award Summary Funding Agency: National Eye Institute Program: Vision Research (CFDA 93.867) Award Amount: $527,987 Award Period: May 1, 2026 – April 30, 2030 Awardee: University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles will develop an engineered adhesive biomimetic hydrogel platform designed to deliver mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to corneal tissue for regeneration and repair. The primary research products include a photocurable adhesive composite...

New York University School of Medicine received a $285,498 Project Grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI) under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867), awarded on September 30, 2025, with completion targeted for August 31, 2027. This award supports fundamental research investigating corneal lens development mechanisms using Drosophila (fruit fly) as a model organism to understand human corneal curvature disorders including myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and keratoconus. The research...

This Cooperative Agreement award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084) provides $998,356 to Revive Biotechnology Inc. to develop an oxygen nanobubble platform technology for treating ischemic retinal diseases. The project aims to secure an Investigational New Drug (IND) indication for the treatment of central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO), a leading cause of sudden vision loss, and then expand the technology to...

Federal Project Grant Award Summary The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston received a $2.88 million Project Grant award from the NIH Office of the Director under the Trans-NIH Research Support program (CFDA 93.310) on September 15, 2025, with a completion date of August 31, 2028. The grant funds research investigating the role of Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) in acrolein-induced ocular injury. Acrolein, a highly toxic volatile aldehyde with widespread industrial use and historical deployment as...