Campus News

NIH funding success in 2023

October 25, 2023

The USC Roski Eye Institute faculty have had a successful year in obtaining new NIH funding in 2023. Please find below the description of newly awarded NIH research grants.

PI: Jesse Berry, MD
Project: Validation of an Aqueous Humor Liquid Biopsy for Molecular Prognostication and Monitoring of Children with Retinoblastoma (R01CA282759)
Description: Retinoblastoma is an eye cancer that forms in the developing retina of young children; it is unique in that it cannot be directly biopsied, making tumor tissue unavailable. As a result, there is a lack of understanding of the association between the clinical behavior of this cancer and the mechanisms that drive this behavior. This research project proposes to use the aqueous humor as a liquid biopsy for molecular characterization and prognostic biomarker validation for this cancer to help the design of future clinical trials for these children.

PI: Sarah Hamm-Alvarez, PhD
Project: Protein-polymer Nanomedicine for Sjogren’s Syndrome (R01EY026635)
Description: Sjögren’s syndrome is an autoimmune disease associated with inflammation and decreased function of lacrimal and salivary glands, and systemic inflammation of other internal organs. Treatment options are limited, possibly because approved treatments do not achieve immunomodulation at both local glandular and systemic sites. Capitalizing on the novel properties of elastin-like polypeptides, we develop strategies to more effectively treat local, glandular and systemic symptoms with immunomodulatory agents, and explore their efficacy and toxicity in combination in murine models of the disease.

PI: Kimberly Gokoffski, MD, PhD
Project: Restoration of Optic Nerve Function Driven by In Vivo Multimodal Electrical Stimulation (R01EY035375)
Description: No therapy exists to restore vision in the 80 million people worldwide who are legally blind from diseases of the optic nerve, a nerve comprised of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons that relay visual information from the eye to the brain. This project builds upon our previous work showing that electric fields direct regeneration of RGC axons in vitro and in vivo. Here, we will lay the groundwork for the development of a breakthrough electric field-based therapy to regenerate the optic nerve using novel waveforms and systems.

PI: Xuejuan Jiang, PhD
Project: Imaging Cerebral Small Vessels in Vascular Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (RF1AG084072)
Description: Vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) have been recognized as an important cause of clinical dementia. This will systematically evaluate novel metrics of small vessel morphology/density and perfusion as imaging biomarkers of VCID in a multiethnic longitudinal cohort of 200 subjects that are enriched for small vessel VCID. This project is expected to result in a powerful suite of imaging tools for comprehensive characterization of the morphology and function of cerebral small vessels, as well as to fill in the important gap in health disparities of Asian Americans in ADRD research.

PI: Sun Young Lee, MD, PhD
Project: Extracellular Vesicle Therapy for Diabetic Retinopathy (R21EY035425)
Description: This research project focuses on developing a new treatment strategy, active-targeting directed exosome-based biological agents to modulate the neurovascular microenvironment during the development of diabetic retinopathy to prevent the progressive disease process and loss of visual function.

PI: Mahnaz Shahidi, PhD
Project: Retinal Ischemia Treatment by Oxygen Nanobubbles (R21EY035371)
Description: Retinal hypoxia is a key mediator in the pathogenesis of many potentially blinding diseases, such as vascular occlusions and diabetic retinopathy. The findings of the current study will establish a new therapeutic intervention to safely oxygenate the retinal tissue and prevent vision loss.

Project: Center Core Grant for Vision Research (P30EY029220; Competitively Renewed)
Description: The Center Core Grant for Vision Research will support, strengthen and broaden basic and translational vision science research. The Center Core will provide shared resources accessible to investigators, dedicated to elucidating mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment of ocular diseases. The Center Core will support three highly integrated Resource Cores: 1) Ophthalmic Therapeutics Engineering Core, 2) Cell & Tissue Imaging and Data Science Core, 3) Animal Models and In Vivo Imaging Core. These Cores will offer exceptional facilities, instrumentation and expertise to enhance and expand the research programs of participating investigators, aid established investigators in pursuing research in new emerging fields and assist new investigators in developing vision research projects.

PI: Qifa Zhou, PhD
Project: High-Resolution Flow Imaging of Optic Nerve Head and Retrolaminar Microvascular Circulation (R01EY035084)
Description: This research project aims to build a high frequency 15-20 MHz 2D array that can apply plane wave ultrafast ultrasound. This system will be able to acquire high resolution blood flow imaging of optic never head and retinal vessels, which may be used as a diagnostic tool for glaucoma.

Project: High-Resolution Flow Imaging of Optic Nerve Head and Retrolaminar Microvascular Circulation (R01EY035084)
Description: This research project aims to build a high frequency 15-20 MHz 2D array that can apply plane wave ultrafast ultrasound. This system will be able to acquire high resolution blood flow imaging of optic never head and retinal vessels, which may be used as a diagnostic tool for glaucoma.