A US agency supporting medical research has announced the teams who will share up to US$125 million (AU$195m) in funds to bring about the first-ever transplant of the human eye.
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), an agency within the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has named the teams to receive awards from its Transplantation of Human Eye Allografts (THEA) program.
A media release said the agency’s commitment was a groundbreaking investment to develop the first-ever complete eye transplantation procedure and restore vision for the blind and visually impaired.
“What if we could cure blindness? Modern medicine can correct some eye problems, but we really have no way to restore lost vision, which THEA now seeks to change,” said ARPA-H director Dr Renee Wegrzyn, Ph.D
“THEA intends to revolutionise the reconnection of nerves to the brain and develop breakthroughs in transplantation, preservation, and neuroscience. ARPA-H’s investment has the potential to repair vision loss for millions of Americans.”
The release said the teams selected by ARPA-H will test and evaluate the best therapies to regenerate cranial nerves, maintain critical structures in the eye (such as the retina and optic nerve after transplant), and prevent post-operative inflammation or rejection.
To accomplish eye transplant surgery and healing, THEA will leverage emerging microsurgical techniques, coupled with genetic and cell-based therapies, to preserve or regrow nerves from the eye to the brain.
These regenerative solutions could help prevent degenerative blindness and are a critical step towards successful whole eye transplantation to restore vision.
THEA will pursue three technical areas (TAs): (1) retrieval of donor eyes and maintenance of the health of donor eyes until transplantation; (2) optic nerve repair and regeneration; and (3) surgical procedures, post-operative care, and functional assessment.
Teams are led by:
- InGel Therapeutics in Allston, Mass. (TA 2), focusing on 3-D printed click-lock gel technology with micro-tunneled scaffolds containing stem cell-derived retinal cells.
- Stanford University (TAs 1, 2, and 3), focusing on donor eye procurement, developing new strategies to promote survival and regeneration of the transplanted cells, and performing transplant surgeries.
- The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (TAs 2 and 3), focusing on developing novel stem cell and bioelectronic technologies to promote nerve regeneration and performing transplant surgeries.
- The University of Miami Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (TA 1), focusing on donor eye procurement and preservation outside the body with its eye-ECMO device.
If successful, the program will generate new treatments and answers for the leading causes of blindness in the US and elsewhere – glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy – for which there are currently no cures.
The performers’ awards are ceilings, based on each performer meeting its contractual milestones.
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